Canterlot Talent Show
by TheGoldenYoshichu
Summary: The Mane Six hear about a talent show that is taking place in Canterlot. The prizes are thousands of bits for each first place trophy. They eagerly decide to join and they bring a few of their friends along to help. The Cutie Mark Crusaders decide to join in too in the hopes that they'll earn their cutie marks. Sequel to The Great and Miserable Trixie.
1. Chapter 1: Announcement

**Chapter 1: Announcement**

The sun shined brightly over the town of Ponyville. Pegasi, unicorns, and earth ponies were all roaming the streets and going about their business. It was another picture perfect day in the town of ponies. Everypony was in high spirits as the day went on. A group of three fliers were in particularly good moods.

"Come on guys!" the light blue pegasus Rainbow Dash shouted to her friends. "Try and keep up." She then sped off through the skies with her two friends following behind her. These two were known as Gilda and Lightning Dust. Gilda was a griffon while Lightning Dust was a pegasus like Rainbow Dash. The three fliers were pushing themselves to their absolute limits. They were trying to perfect a stunt that they had just thought of ten seconds ago.

Gilda soared above the two pegasi and tried to increase her speed. While she was just as fast as Rainbow Dash and Lightning Dust, her acceleration wasn't as good. It took longer for Gilda to reach her top speeds than it did for the two pegasi. As such the trio had to carefully time their stunt otherwise everything would go wrong. A mach cone formed around Gilda's body and a trail of fire followed her as she flew. Rainbow Dash and Lightning Dust quickly increased their speeds until they both had mach cones surrounding their bodies as well. Rainbow Dash had a rainbow colored trail following behind her while Lightning Dust had a lightning bolt trail mimicking her every move. Gilda flew in small circles above them while the two pegasi flew in diagonal directions. This was a new move that the trio was trying to perfect. Everything was going well but then Gilda's wing accidentally brushed against Lightning Dust's flank. This sent the teal mare off course and then she collided with Rainbow Dash. The two pegasi spiraled downwards before they managed to slow themselves down. As their speed decreased they were able to right themselves. Gilda approached the two ponies with a sheepish look on her white feathered face.

"Sorry about that." she said as she rubbed the back of her head with her paw. "You guys okay?"

"I'm good G." Rainbow Dash replied. "How 'bout you Lightning?"

"I'm all right Dash." Lightning Dust replied. "You guys wanna give it another go?"

"You know it!" Rainbow Dash and Gilda replied in unison.

The three fliers were just about to start their second attempt at their new stunt when a voice called out to them.

"Rainbow Dash!" a high pitched voice shouted excitedly. "Gilda! Lightning Dust!"

The trio turned and saw the pink earth pony Pinkie Pie who was riding on a strange flying vehicle. She was flying her contraption towards them. The party pony was breathing rather heavily. Gilda quickly flew towards her and grabbed a portion of the flying machine. The griffon kept Pinkie Pie airborne which allowed her to catch her breath. Gilda felt a small smile grow on her face. This was rather ironic when she thought about it. The last time she did this was when she had sent Pinkie Pie to the ground but now she was holding the vehicle so that the pink pony could stay in the air. It was quite funny how life worked out sometimes.

"The mayor wants to see everypony in ten minutes." Pinkie Pie said after she took a couple deep breaths. "She has something important to say."

"We'll be there Pinkie." Rainbow Dash assured her.

"Ya better get back down Pinks." Gilda said.

Lightning Dust nodded in agreement. "This thin air isn't good for ya."

Pinkie Pie nodded and then she flew down to the ground. The trio watched her descend and then they looked at each other and smiled slightly.

"So ten minutes?" Gilda asked.

"You guys thinking what I'm thinking?" Lightning Dust asked in a tone of playful mischief.

"I think we got time for one more go." Rainbow Dash said.

The three fliers put on a burst of speed and started their second attempt at their new stunt.

Meanwhile Pinkie Pie had landed on the roof of SugarCube Corner. The Cakes had allowed her to park her vehicle on the roof of the bakery since Pinkie Pie would use it for their new delivery service. While they could have easily hired a pegasus or two to do the job, Pinkie Pie was extremely eager to take on this task and the Cakes just couldn't refuse. Pinkie Pie hopped off of her flying machine and jumped off the roof. She stopped herself just before she hit the ground and then she just lightly touched down on the streets. A few ponies gave her a surprised glance but they said nothing. Pinkie Pie was just being Pinkie Pie and they had pretty much accepted that she could do some very weird things.

Pinkie Pie ran off to find her other friends. The party pony noticed that three of her friends were standing in a group. She quickly explained the situation to Applejack, Rarity, and Fluttershy. She still needed to find Twilight Sparkle and Spike. It was then that she noticed a small display of lights in the distance. Pinkie Pie quickly ran towards the source and saw Twilight Sparkle. The purple alicorn was practicing a spell while Spike watched. Twilight Sparkle was wearing the cape and hat that she had received from Trixie a while back. Trixie had told Twilight Sparkle to keep her new skills sharp and the alicorn was doing just that. Pinkie Pie applauded her friend's performance which caused the alicorn to blush just a tiny bit.

"Hey Pinkie." Twilight Sparkle greeted. "What's up?"

"The mayor wants everypony to meet in the town square in five minutes." Pinkie Pie told her. "She says she has something important to say. I hope it's a party."

With that, Pinkie Pie zoomed off to wherever. Twilight Sparkle decided that she could squeeze in an extra minute of training. Adjusting her purple hat properly, she continued her work.

Within the next five minutes, the town square was packed with ponies. Every resident in Ponyville had showed up to see what the big announcement was. The mayor stepped up to the podium and spoke.

"Greetings everypony." she said cheerfully. "I am sure that you're all wondering why I have asked you to come here. I am pleased to announce that Ponyville shall be competing in the first ever Equestria-wide Talent Show!"

This announcement led to some enthusiastic cheers from the crowd. They hadn't expected this but they were very excited to hear more about it. Sensing their enthusiasm, the mayor spoke up again.

"I am sure that you all have many questions about the show." she said. "The rules of the contest as well as all other important information are on the poster behind me." She gestured towards a large piece of parchment that had been nailed to the wall of the building behind her. "Everything you need to know is on that paper. Good luck to everypony wishing to compete."

With that, the mayor stepped down from her podium and walked away. Instantly the crowd of ponies swarmed to see the rules of the talent show. Pinkie Pie found her eight friends and they all gathered together. Gilda stood on her hind legs and sat Pinkie Pie on her shoulders as the pink pony pulled out a pair of binoculars. Using them she was easily able to read the rules of the contest to her friends.

The contest would feature four categories in which they could enter. The categories were flying, magic, acting, and music. Each category must be performed by a group. The group may have anywhere from two to five members in it. All members of the group must be residents of the town that they are representing. The prizes for the contest were ten thousand bits donated to the town for every first place position that was earned. Each member of the group would also receive a golden trophy and five thousand bits for themselves. The poster stated that all props, scenery, lighting, and special effects would be taken care of by the contest staff. Costumes and musical equipment however needed to be provided by the competitors. Everypony wishing to compete would be taken by train to Canterlot two weeks before the contest began. The teams would use that time to discuss the important scenery and such that they needed for their performances. Lodging would also be taken care of by the contest staff.

"That sounds awesome!" Rainbow Dash yelled.

"I can hardly wait for this contest." Rarity said. "Perhaps I could start a hobby as an actress."

"Well I think we all know who the flying group's gonna be." Gilda said with a grin. She glanced toward Rainbow Dash and Lightning Dust who eagerly nodded. The trio was definitely excited at the prospect of showing off their skills to ponies from all around Equestria.

"Maybe I should try my hoof at magic." Twilight Sparkle said.

"Yeah you'd be a great performer." Spike said. "After all you were Trixie's apprentice."

The group of nine then walked off and happily discussed their plans. Meanwhile a group of three fillies were also very excited about the contest.

"Do you think we can win?" Scootaloo asked the others.

"Ah think we have a fair shot." Apple Bloom said.

"But it has to be acting or music." Sweetie Belle said. "Not all of us can fly or do magic."

"Yeah that's true." Scootaloo replied. Then her eyes widened. "Maybe we could give being a rock band another shot."

"Ah think we should do that." Apple Bloom agreed.

"Yeah since we don't have to worry about special effects or anything we'll be a lot better this time around than we were before." Sweetie Belle said in an excited tone.

The three fillies jumped up into the air and spoke at once.

"CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS ROCK BAND!" they all shouted in unison as they slapped their hooves together.

With that, they quickly ran off to practice. They arrived at their clubhouse and quickly searched for what they would need. They dug out their old rock band costumes as well as the lyrics for their theme song. The three fillies quickly dressed themselves and began practicing. Hopefully they would win and maybe they would get their cutie marks.


	2. Chapter 2: Practice

**Chapter 2: Practice**

Ponies all across Ponyville were eagerly training for the talent show. In a week there would be tryouts to see who would be selected to compete in the show. Everypony that had wanted to compete had signed up. Changes could still be made to the list of members but once the tryouts were over the groups were finalized. No new members could join and all existing members were required to compete.

Rainbow Dash, Gilda, and Lightning Dust had taken to the skies. While they were itching to perfect their newest move, they decided to first figure out a plan for their performance. While the trio didn't usually strategize anything they made an exception when it came to stunts. The trio flew faster than ever before as they put their moves to the test. Rainbow Dash made an excellent leader for them. She directed Gilda and Lightning Dust perfectly. The trio worked together in perfect harmony. Nothing could stop them from winning.

"We got this in the bag." Rainbow Dash said proudly.

"You know it Dash." Lightning Dust replied.

"I wonder if the Wonderbolts will be watching." Gilda said.

"I bet they will and I'll bet they'll sign us up on the spot." Rainbow Dash declared.

The others nodded in agreement but Lightning Dust felt a bit uneasy at the mention of the Wonderbolts. She had been at their Academy and she dropped out. Her recklessness had nearly killed five ponies and she didn't even care. The daredevil felt like she wasn't Wonderbolts material. She may have been forgiven by the others but there was one pony that hadn't forgiven her. That pony was herself. Lightning Dust tried to put these thoughts from her mind as she flew with her two friends. Flying always did do wonders on a troubled mind and having a goal helped her concentrate on something aside from her guilt. The three friends flew fast and performed their stunts. When they finished they knew that everything was perfect. All they needed to do was perfect their newest move. That would be the final thing that they would do during their performance. The trio practiced harder than ever in the hopes that they would succeed.

Rarity had taken charge of her group. She along with Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy had decided to try and win the acting trophy. While the others weren't exactly skilled they were definitely trying. The unicorn bit her lip as she thought about how best to go about their plan. She felt like drama would be the best type of genre to use for their show. While Rarity acted perfectly the others weren't up to the skills that they needed to be at.

"We must try harder." Rarity said.

"Ah'm givin' it all Ah got Rarity." Applejack said.

"This is really really really hard work." Pinkie Pie told her.

"I never knew acting was so tough." Fluttershy whispered.

The unicorn called a halt to their practice. She put her hoof under her chin and thought. How could she turn these three ponies into actresses? How could she find the talents inside them and bring them forward? What could she do to get them to realize their potential? Rarity kept thinking. She knew that her friends would always try their hardest but still they were nowhere near as prepared as they needed to be.

"We must deliver a performance that shall leave our audience in tears." Rarity said.

"Ah'm not sure Ah understand Rarity." Applejack said uncertainly.

"I don't wanna make everypony cry." Pinkie Pie said. "I wanna make everypony laugh."

"I hope we don't upset them too badly." Fluttershy muttered quietly.

"Drama is all about bringing the audience to tears." Rarity explained. "Just like comedy is about making the crowd laugh. Just like horror is about making ponies scream. We must create emotion in our audience."

The others nodded as they began to figure out what Rarity meant. They practiced even harder and they started making progress. Slowly but surely they were getting better.

Meanwhile Twilight Sparkle was practicing her magic with Spike as her assistant. The young dragon eagerly agreed to be part of the alicorn's show. Twilight Sparkle used all of the spells that she had learned from Trixie on Spike. While the spells worked perfectly Twilight Sparkle felt like she was lacking something important.

"There has to be something I'm missing." the alicorn muttered to herself.

"You're thinking about Trixie aren't you?" Spike asked.

"I just wish I knew what she would do in this situation." Twilight Sparkle replied.

"Then perhaps you should just ask her." a voice said playfully.

The duo turned and they saw Trixie Lulamoon standing before them. The blue unicorn was grinning broadly as her cape fluttered in the breeze. Her hat was perched on her head and she gave the duo a warm smile. Twilight Sparkle was very happy to see her former master.

"Trixie!" she yelled. The purple alicorn ran up to Trixie and hugged her. The unicorn returned the embrace and they held each other with broad grins on their faces.

"The Great and Powerful Trixie has missed you Twilight." Trixie told the alicorn as she gave her a small kiss on the cheek which caused Twilight Sparkle to blush.

"The Great and Powerful Twilight has missed Trixie too." Twilight Sparkle replied as she gave Trixie a kiss on the cheek as well. Trixie blushed a bit and the alicorn smiled. "Just as cute as always." she said with a grin.

Twilight Sparkle told Trixie about the talent show and the showmare was eager to join Twilight Sparkle and Spike. She may have been a traveling showmare but Trixie was still a legal resident of Ponyville. Trixie told the alicorn that her career had gotten much better ever since she left Ponyville. Ponies were in awe of her performances and she enjoyed being on stage in front of crowds just like the old days. The two ponies practiced their spells throughout the day.

The Cutie Mark Crusaders were practicing as well. While they knew that they would need some instruments for their performance they decided to start with just being able to sing their song. The trio worked together well. They sang their song perfectly. When they finished they tried to figure out which of the three of them would be the lead singer.

"Do either of you guys wanna be the singer?" Scootaloo asked.

"Ah'm not that great at singing." Apple Bloom said.

"I think you do a better job with this style of music than I do." Sweetie Belle said to Scootaloo.

"All right that's settled." Scootaloo said. "So what instruments are you guys gonna play?"

While the trio discussed their plans a lone filly walked towards their clubhouse. She heard the trio start singing again and she smiled. She crept up the stairway to the clubhouse and watched the performance. A grin grew on her face as she watched the trio sing. She also really liked the costumes that they were wearing. The song finished and the lone filly smiled. The three friends were too busy talking to notice her. She walked into the clubhouse and leaned against the doorway.

"So what are you guys up to?" she asked.

The three ponies turned towards the speaker and their jaws dropped in shock.

"Babs?" Apple Bloom asked uncertainly.


	3. Chapter 3 Chronicle of a Cousin Crusader

**Chapter 3: Chronicle of a Cousin Crusader**

Babs Seed stood in the doorway and smiled. Her cousin Apple Bloom was shocked to see her standing in front of her. However she shook off her surprise and then ran over to give her cousin a hug which was eagerly returned. The other two members of The Cutie Mark Crusaders quickly joined in as well. The four of them laughed as they stood in their group hug. Eventually they broke apart and started rapidly asking Babs Seed a bunch of questions.

"How are things in Manehattan?" Scootaloo asked.

"Did you recruit any new Crusaders?" Sweetie Belle asked.

"What are you even doing here?" Apple Bloom exclaimed.

Babs Seed grinned a bit.

"Well Ah got some bad news and some good news." she said. "Bad news is that the Manehattan branch of The Cutie Mark Crusaders is gone."

Instantly the other three ponies gasped. Before they could ask any questions, Babs Seed held up a hoof.

"Ah'm here 'cause Manehattan was getting ta be a bit too expensive ta live in." she explained.

"Do you mean?" Apple Bloom began.

"Yep." Babs Seed replied. "Ah'm livin' right here in Ponyville."

Instantly the other three fillies began cheering. Babs Seed was now in Ponyville with the rest of them.

"Why didn't Applejack tell me about this?" Apple Bloom asked.

"'Cause she didn't know 'bout it." Babs Seed replied. "We only got here yesterday. Ah haven't even unpacked yet. Ah just wanted ta see how my cousin was doing."

The three fillies started to rapidly explain about the contest. Babs Seed listened and she was definitely interested in helping her friends with their performance.

"Ah hope Ah don't have ta sing." she said.

"Don't worry Scootaloo's the lead singer." Sweetie Belle said.

"Yeah you'll just be singing the chorus." Scootaloo said.

Babs Seed looked at the lyrics of the song and smiled.

"All right Ah'll join." she said. "But on one condition."

The three fillies raised their eyebrows at her.

"Ah'll join as long as Ah get a cool costume like you guys." Babs Seed said with a grin.

The others instantly agreed to this. Babs Seed joined the others with the song while Sweetie Belle focused on making a stage outfit for their newest member. Their song finished and they heard a voice calling out to them.

"Apple Bloom." a country accent said.

The Cutie Mark Crusaders stopped what they were doing and they saw Applejack trying to get their attention.

"Ah just heard something ya might like." the cowgirl said.

"Hey Applejack guess who just moved inta town." Apple Bloom told her sister. She indicated Babs Seed who smiled politely at the orange pony.

"Well Ah was going ta say that Babs Seed has moved inta Ponyville but Ah reckon that ya already figured that out." Applejack said with a grin. "Nice ta see ya again Babs."

"It's nice ta see ya too AJ." Babs Seed replied.

Applejack smiled and then left the foursome to their work. The young fillies got back to their practicing. After a little while Sweetie Belle finished designing Babs Seed's outfit and she asked her friend to try it on. Babs Seed quickly put the costume on and checked herself out. Her outfit was made of the same material that the other fillies' costumes were made of. Her outfit was designed in a similar way to Apple Bloom's costume. The main color of the outfit was a bold fiery red. It was decorated with many small black skulls. The outfit changed to orange at the hooves and it was designed in a way to make the orange fabric look like flames. Babs Seed's stage outfit also came with a matching headpiece. This headpiece was red and had many small black stars on it. Unlike Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle, Babs Seed did not wear any eye makeup and her mane and tail weren't ruffled up. Babs Seed admired her new outfit that had been made for her. A grin grew on her face as she spoke.

"Ah love it." she said. "Thanks a bunch Sweetie Belle."

Sweetie Belle blushed a bit at the compliment. She wasn't an expert fashionista like Rarity so hearing such kind words about an outfit she designed made the young unicorn feel really good. The group of four sang their song one last time before it was time for all of them to go home. Babs Seed laid down on her bed and smiled. She had just joined a rock band with her closest friends and her favorite cousin.


	4. Chapter 4: Tools of the Trade

**Chapter 4: Tools of the Trade**

The next day arrived and everypony got to work on their performances. The day after tomorrow would be when tryouts were held. That would be the day when the town would choose which ponies they wanted to have represent Ponyville at the Talent Show. Everypony that was competing was anxious to prove themselves. They all wanted to be the ones that were going to Canterlot to compete in the talent show.

Rainbow Dash, Gilda, and Lightning Dust practiced all of their stunts. Everything went flawlessly. They practiced the move that they would use as their finale and they finally got it down perfectly. The trio practiced a few more times and then they grinned at each other.

"We've got this hooves down." Rainbow Dash said confidently.

"Nopony's gonna have a chance against us." Gilda said in the same tone.

"We're gonna win that contest without a doubt." Lightning Dust agreed.

The trio went back into the skies to keep up their training. They were going to make sure that every single stunt in their performance was perfect and then they would make them even better.

Meanwhile Rarity and her friends were getting their act together, literally. Rarity had finally managed to inspire her three friends to find their inner actresses. Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy all acted their roles in the most perfect manner. The scene that they were acting would be a death scene. Applejack would be playing the dying character while Rarity would grieve over her death. Meanwhile Fluttershy would be battling Pinkie Pie who would be playing the character that had killed Applejack. Rarity's dramatic personality made her just perfect for the part. Applejack acted an extremely convincing death despite not having any acting experience. Pinkie Pie's zany sort of personality surprisingly made for an extremely good villain character. Fluttershy's timidity worked extremely well since Pinkie Pie was sort of an intimidating villain. The group of four practiced as much as they could. They were determined to win this contest.

Twilight Sparkle was practicing all of her spells for the show. Trixie Lulamoon was helping her while Spike volunteered to be their test subject. Trixie had learned some new spells which she was able to teach to Twilight Sparkle. The two ponies took turns using their spells on Spike. They also had spells that didn't involve him but he could still be very helpful to them. The young dragon enjoyed helping them with their performance. The two magical ponies were able to use a lot of creative and impressive spells for their show. There was no doubt in their mind that they could win this contest. Spike was definitely looking forwards to buying five thousand bits worth of gems for himself. The two ponies meanwhile decided to save their bits. Trixie never knew what she might need during her career so having this kind of money was very helpful to her. Twilight Sparkle liked to have a good amount of spare bits just in case she needed them for an emergency. The group of three kept on working hard.

The Cutie Mark Crusaders were doing something much different than the others. While all of the other ponies that were going to compete were practicing, the four fillies were standing outside of a music shop. They were going to need some instruments for their show but they had no clue what to get. None of the four fillies knew how to play any instruments and even if they did they didn't know which ones they would need for their song. They walked inside of the music store and were greeted by a gray mare with a charcoal black mane and tail. She had a rather surprised look on her face when she saw the costumes being worn by the four fillies but she didn't say anything.

"Hello my name is Octavia." the mare said. "How may I help you today?"

The four fillies looked at each other before Scootaloo decided to speak.

"We're gonna be in the Canterlot talent show." she said. "We need some instruments."

"Ah yes I understand completely." Octavia said. "Which instruments can I interest you in?"

"Well umm we don't exactly know which ones we need." Scootaloo admitted. "We don't know much about music at all really."

"No matter I'm sure we can find just what you need." Octavia said. "For starters what genre of music are you going to be playing?"

"Genre?" Scootaloo asked. The other three fillies were just as confused as she was.

"Is it classical? Rock and roll? Country?" Octavia asked. "There are many genres and certain instruments work better with certain genres."

The four fillies huddled up and had a whispered discussion. They tried to compare their song with other music that they had heard. They didn't know much about genres.

"Well it's kinda loud I guess." Scootaloo said.

"Hmm then I think you will need rock and roll instruments." Octavia said. "I'm afraid that I don't know much about that particular genre but one of my coworkers can definitely be of more assistance. One moment please."

The mare walked away a bit and called out to one of the other workers.

"Miss Scratch." she said. "I have some customers here that need your assistance."

"Be there in a sec." a voice replied. "And I told you to call me Vinyl."

Another mare walked out from behind a counter and approached the three fillies. This mare was a complete contrast to Octavia. While Octavia's mane and tail were prim and neat, this mare's mane and tail were frizzled and messy. Her body was a very pale yellow color. Her mane and tail showed two tones of electric blue. Her eyes were covered by magenta sunglasses.

"What's up?" she said. "Name's Vinyl Scratch but you can call me Vinyl. What can I do for ya?"

"We need some rock and roll instruments." Scootaloo said.

"Well that I can definitely help with." Vinyl Scratch replied. "I always love helping out future rock stars."

"Yes your taste in music is remarkably similar." Octavia said in a somewhat mocking tone.

"Well it beats that stuff you call music Tavi." Vinyl Scratch shot back. "What's the name of that dude that you listen to nowadays? Bee-something or other?"

"His name is Beehoofven." Octavia replied testily. "And _my _name is Octavia _not _'Tavi'."

"Yeah well if you're gonna call me 'Miss Scratch' then you're gonna have to deal with me calling ya 'Tavi'." Vinyl Scratch said in response. "Anyway follow me girls. I know just what ya need."

Vinyl Scratch walked away from Octavia and The Cutie Mark Crusaders followed her. The blue maned pony led them to another section of the store. This area held guitars, drums, bass guitars, keyboards, and a multitude of other things.

"Take a look around and if you're interested in anything I'll let ya practice for a bit." Vinyl Scratch said. Then she leaned up against a wall and the four fillies examined the different instruments.

"Remember we need to be able to carry this stuff." Scootaloo reminded them.

Scootaloo stood around while the other three looked at the huge assortment of instruments. Vinyl Scratch noticed this and walked up to Scootaloo.

"What's the matter?" she asked. "Don't know where to start?"

"I'm gonna be lead signer." Scootaloo replied. "They're gonna be the band."

"Ah I got ya." Vinyl Scratch responded. "I think it's pretty cool that you're going in without any experience."

"Really?" Scootaloo asked in an amazed tone. "You think it's cool?"

"Yeah." Vinyl Scratch replied honestly. "Takes a lot of guts to compete in something ya don't know anything about."

"Wow thanks Vinyl." Scootaloo whispered.

"No problem." Vinyl Scratch replied. "What's your name kid."

"Scootaloo." the orange filly told her.

"Well Scootaloo I think you should definitely give rock music a try." Vinyl Scratch said. "I've met some good artists in this place. Started out as noponies then they became legends."

"Hey Scootaloo Ah think Ah found something." Apple Bloom said.

Instantly the duo walked over to the yellow filly and looked at what she was pointing at. It was a blue and white guitar that was sealed in a glass case.

"That's an electric guitar." Vinyl Scratch explained. "Wanna give it a shot?"

Apple Bloom nodded eagerly and the blue maned pony opened up the case and handed over the guitar. Vinyl Scratch gave Apple Bloom a quick lesson on how to play the guitar and then the young pony started playing. Her first note was terrible but then she started to get better rather quickly.

"That's pretty good." Vinyl Scratch said. "First time playing?"

Apple Bloom nodded. "Never played electric guitar before." she said.

"Well I think you should keep on playing." Vinyl Scratch said. "Never heard a first timer sound so awesome."

Sweetie Belle gasped as she pointed at an instrument. Vinyl Scratch grinned when she saw what the young unicorn was looking at.

"That there is an electric keyboard." she said. "Not every rock band uses them but they can be pretty awesome if ya use 'em just right."

She allowed Sweetie Belle to use the keyboard and surprisingly the unicorn filly did rather well. She played the fiery red keyboard like an expert. Vinyl Scratch was definitely impressed.

"Keep it up." she encouraged. "I never heard anypony use this so well on their first go."

Babs Seed glanced around the store and her eyes widened when she looked at a certain instrument. It was a dark green drum set with golden cymbals. Vinyl Scratch quickly explained how to use it and Babs Seed began playing. She sounded amazing.

"Wow got some real talent here." Vinyl Scratch replied. "Never seen anything like this from beginners. Even some of my friends can't play this well and they've been playing for years."

"Do you have a microphone in here?" Scootaloo asked. "I wanna know how I sound."

"I'm sure we got one somewhere." Vinyl Scratch replied. She walked around a bit and found a microphone. "Here ya go. Have fun."

Scootaloo began to sing while the others played their instruments. It took a bit of time but the other three fillies soon got into the rhythm of the song. Their performance got better as Vinyl Scratch watched them play. While the pony's eyes were hidden, one could easily see how her eyebrows had raised in surprise. The foursome finished their song and Vinyl Scratch applauded.

"That was awesome." she said. "Never heard anything like it."

"You think we can win?" Scootaloo asked.

"You definitely have a good shot." Vinyl Scratch replied. "If you wanna buy this stuff you can."

"How much is it?" Scootaloo asked.

Vinyl Scratch gave counted up the prices and the fillies' faces fell. They did not have anywhere near the amount of bits that they'd need.

"Tell ya what." Vinyl Scratch said. "Me and the owner of this place are good pals. I'm sure that he'll let ya borrow them for just a little while."

Vinyl Scratch left the room and came back with the manager. The manager was an electric green stallion with a dark green mane. He requested that the fillies play their song and they quickly obliged. When their performance was over the manager was definitely in good spirits.

"Well I'll be." he said. "Never seen such talent from a bunch of beginners in my life. Tell ya what. I'll let ya borrow them for the contest. If ya win you can keep the instruments for free."

The four ponies' eyes widened.

"You mean it?" Scootaloo asked.

"I do." the manager replied.

Instantly The Cutie Mark Crusaders cheered. They thanked the manager and Vinyl Scratch for their generosity and then they were off. They had all of their new instruments packed up and they headed off to their clubhouse.

"You think they can win?" Vinyl Scratch asked.

The manager let out a short chuckle. "Beginner's luck is what it was. I doubt they'll win but they might have a shot."

Vinyl Scratch frowned a bit. She had grown fond of Scootaloo and she liked the music that her band had played.

"I think they can win." she said.

"Really?" the manager asked. "Why don't we make our own little wager then?"

"What do ya have in mind?" Vinyl Scratch replied.

"If they win I'll give ya that raise ya want." the manager replied.

Vinyl Scratch's eyes widened a bit. "And if they don't win?" she asked.

"If they don't win then you're on bathroom cleaning duty." the manager said. Vinyl Scratch gulped nervously. She had cleaned the bathrooms during her first month at this job and she was glad to be rid of such a disgusting task. Then she thought of Scootaloo and the others. Her mind was set and her expression was very firm.

"You're on." she said.

The two ponies shook on it and the manager walked off. Vinyl Scratch bit her lip. Octavia walked over to her with a small smile on her face.

"What have you gotten yourself into this time Miss Scratch?" she asked.

"You have no idea Tavi." Vinyl Scratch replied.


	5. Chapter 5: Tryouts

**Chapter 5: Tryouts**

The next day arrived and saw many ponies practicing their routines. Pegasi were soaring in the air. Unicorns were practicing their magical abilities. Earth ponies were either acting or singing. While majority of the residents didn't have any interest in competing, the ones that did were extremely dedicated. Every single hopeful competitor was giving it their all every second of every day. They were all determined to win the contest. But first they had to pass the tryouts. Only one team for each category would be selected. Each category had anywhere from three to five teams all trying to earn the chance to compete in Canterlot. Dozens of ponies were hoping to be selected but only a handful would get to have their chance at competing. Among the many hopefuls were The Cutie Mark Crusaders.

The four young fillies were playing and singing with all they had. While they had originally signed up for the contest in the hopes of earning their cutie marks, they were starting to enjoy being a rock band. Scootaloo had discovered that she had a real singing voice. Apple Bloom was really enjoying her guitar. Sweetie Belle shined as she played her red keyboard. Babs Seed was definitely impressive with her skills at the drum set. The four fillies had forgotten completely about earning their cutie marks because they were focused on winning the contest and being the best rock band that they could possibly be. It didn't hurt that playing their music was a ton of fun for them too.

They finished their song for the fourth time that day. Each of them had broad grins on their faces. This attempt was the first time that they were completely in sync and none of them had made a single mistake during their performance. They felt like they had a serious chance of winning the contest. Each of the four fillies visualized themselves returning to Ponyville clutching golden trophies in their hooves. This had inspired them to work as hard as they could. The four young ponies were about to start their song again when they got interrupted. Applejack had showed up along with Rarity and Rainbow Dash. The three ponies were eager to see how their sisters were doing. The four fillies were very eager to show them how their song was coming along. Babs Seed's parents were unable to show up since they were busy looking for new jobs. The four fillies played their song while their sisters watched in awe. None of them had been expecting to see such an amazing performance. When the song was finished all three ponies applauded. The young ponies blushed a bit. They didn't expect such praise. The sun started to set and they all ate their dinner. Each group was able to fit one last practice session before it was time for bed.

Finally the day arrived. Tryouts would be held this day. Every competitor woke up and ate a light breakfast. All of them were eager to prove that they deserved a chance to compete. All of the competitors gathered in one area of town while the other ponies went about their business. The mayor called the attention of the competitors and said that the first groups up would be the flying groups. The rest of the competitors joined the crowd that had made their way to the center of town. Roughly twenty ponies and one griffon remained with the mayor. The mayor explained that the crowd would decide which team would be competing. They all had slips of paper and they would vote on which team was their favorite. Whichever team got the most votes would compete in Canterlot. Rainbow Dash, Gilda, and Lightning Dust would be the fourth group out of five to go up. They waited backstage while the other three groups performed.

Nerves were starting to set in. Every competitor was getting anxious about their upcoming performance. They weren't allowed to watch the performances of the other teams to prevent cheating. All they could do was sit and wait for their turn to come. The cheers of the crowd were definitely unhelpful. The first group came back looking relatively pleased with themselves. The second group went up and they were out of sight. The first team's confident grins started to fade. While they remained silent, it was easy to tell what was going through their minds. They were wondering if they had done enough to win. The second team returned and they looked a lot less satisfied than the first team did. Clearly their performance did not go so well. The third team went up and now Rainbow Dash was starting to get anxious. Her team was up next. This state of nerves was just as bad as when she had been in the Best Young Fliers' Competition. Then she looked at her teammates and smiled slightly. Rainbow Dash knew that Gilda and Lightning Dust would have her back throughout the performance. Though they looked nervous they were still confident that they could win. The third group returned and now it was time. Rainbow Dash stepped through the curtains with Gilda and Lightning Dust following behind her.

The trio walked through the curtains and were greeted with thunderous cheers. Rainbow Dash looked at her closest friends and nodded. The duo returned her gesture and then they took off into the sky. The trio put all of their moves to the test and the audience was definitely impressed. The cheers, screams, shouts, and applause were deafening. This reaction inspired the trio's confidence. They kept on flying and performing their stunts. With every stunt they pulled off, their reception got better. The audience couldn't get enough of their stunts. Rainbow Dash could see her friends in the crowd and they were cheering for her as well as Gilda and Lightning Dust. Finally it was time for the Grand Finale of their performance. This was the move that they had been practicing for so long. Rainbow Dash, Gilda, and Lightning Dust got into their positions. Gilda worked to increase her speed while the two pegasi did the same but at a much slower pace. Gilda's acceleration wasn't the best so Rainbow Dash and Lightning Dust needed to make sure that the three of them reached their top speeds at the same time. When the three fliers were flying as fast as they could they put their final move to the test. Their trails of rainbow, fire, and lightning were used to their advantage. When the crowd saw what they had done they were beside themselves. Rainbow Dash, Gilda, and Lightning Dust landed lightly and their performance was finished. They walked back through the curtains while the fifth and final flying team prepared themselves for their performance.

Rainbow Dash, Gilda, and Lightning Dust relaxed backstage. Their performance was over and all they could do was wait to see if they won. The crowd cheered during the performance of the fifth group. The trio was definitely wondering if they had done enough to win. Every other pony in the room was wondering the exact same thing. Soon enough the fifth group returned. The mayor entered the backstage area and informed the competitors that the audience was now in the process of casting their votes. Five minutes or so later another pony approached the mayor. The two had a whispered discussion and the mayor nodded. She then instructed all of the competitors to follow her through the curtains. The ponies did as bidden. The mayor approached a podium and spoke into the microphone.

"First of all I want to congratulate all of the fliers on their impressive performances." she said. "Let's have a round of applause for them shall we?"

Everypony clapped and cheered for a few moments. Then the tumult settled down and the mayor was given a slip of paper that had the winning team on it.

"The team that shall be competing in Canterlot." she began. "Is the team of."

There was a moment of suspenseful silence.

"Rainbow Dash, Gilda, and Lightning Dust!" the mayor cheered.

The three fliers were completely stunned. They had won and they were going to compete in Canterlot. They cheered for themselves while the other ponies applauded. Then the mayor told the flying teams to join the crowd while the magic teams would come to the stage.

Twilight Sparkle got up and went to the stage with Trixie and Spike following her. There were only three magic teams compared to the five flying teams. The order was decided and Twilight Sparkle's group would go last. They relaxed backstage while the first group went through the curtains. The first group was two adult mares while the other group was two colts by the names of Snips and Snails. The two colts gave Trixie gazes of worship. They were still obsessed with the blue unicorn. The first group came back through the curtains. Snips and Snails eagerly stepped forwards to begin their performance. Twilight Sparkle, Trixie, and Spike waited anxiously. When the two colts returned they would have to perform. Both the alicorn and the unicorn were fairly confident. Trixie was an experienced showmare and Twilight Sparkle had been her apprentice. Trixie regarded the purple pony as her equal and that meant a lot to Twilight Sparkle. Snips and Snails came back and the trio stood up. This was it. Time for them to put on a show.

The group of three walked through the curtains and their applause was deafening. Trixie had gained back a lot of her old popularity in the short amount of time that she had been away from Ponyville. Hopefully her experience would give the trio an edge. They began their performance and from the first trick they pulled, they were flawless. The audience was astounded by the skills that they had displayed. Spike had been the best possible assistant that he could be. The young dragon had been extremely valuable to their performance. The crowd had loved every single trick that they had witnessed. The cheers and applause could be heard for miles. When the show was over the trio took a bow and went backstage to relax until the votes were counted.

Several minutes passed before the mayor came into the room to bring the three groups back onstage. The six ponies and one dragon walked through the curtains and heard cheers of many ponies. The mayor read the paper that she had been given and then she cleared her throat.

"The team that shall be competing in Canterlot is." she began. "The Great and Powerful Twilight, Trixie, and Spike!"

The audience cheered loudly at this announcement. Twilight Sparkle, Trixie, and Spike grinned broadly as they made their way back into the crowd. Next up would be the acting portion. Rarity stood up with her three friends. The white unicorn walked through the curtains. There were four groups of actors that were competing for the spot. Rarity found out that her group would be the first to compete. This troubled the unicorn but she knew that she had to accept it. She just prayed that they would be able to leave a lasting impression. The group of four were called to perform and they walked through the curtains together.

The foursome acted their scene without a hitch. Pinkie Pie was energetic and silly but she made an extremely good villain. Fluttershy's timidity worked well with her battle against Pinkie Pie. Applejack acted out her death in the best possible manner. Rarity however made their performance amazing. While the other three were great, Rarity was just astounding with her acting. The white unicorn had put so much emotion into her lines that a good chunk of the crowd was bawling by the end of the show. Even Rainbow Dash, Gilda, and Lightning Dust were moved by her performance. The show ended and the audience cheered. Rarity and her three friends went back through the curtains and relaxed backstage. The second group walked onto the stage and performed.

Rarity's nerves were starting to overwhelm her. The white unicorn was frantically wondering if they had been good enough to be able to compete.

"I knew that I should have cried more." she said. "Oh I hope that we can win this."

Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy were able to calm Rarity down. They assured her that she had been a very good actress. Rarity smiled slightly and she relaxed. The group of four waited until the other teams had finished all of their performances. The second group returned with dissatisfied expressions on their faces. This sight helped get Rarity's confidence up. However her mood took a downturn when the third group came back with smiles on their faces. The fourth and final group went forwards and they came back with irritated expressions. Rarity started to get hopeful. From the looks of things they had beaten at least two teams. Hopefully they would be able to win. The mayor bought all of the competitors through the curtains.

"The acting team for Ponyville." she began. "Is Rarity, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy!"

Rarity nearly fainted upon hearing this. She had been so worked up and now she could finally relax. The foursome went back to the crowd while the teams for music went up. The Cutie Mark Crusaders walked through the curtains with the other music teams and they all waited to find out who was going first.

There were five groups competing for the spot this time. Among the ponies that they were up against, the Cutie Mark Crusaders saw some familiar faces. Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon were competing too. The sight of them made the foursome vow to themselves that they would win. They knew that those two ponies would never let them live a loss down. Even if Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon didn't win they'd still mock the foursome for quite a while. The Cutie Mark Crusaders would be the second group to perform. Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon walked through the curtains while the others waited for their turns.

Eventually Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon came back. They both had smug grins on their faces. This definitely made The Cutie Mark Crusaders feel extremely nervous. From the looks of things, the smug duo had put on an impressive performance. The foursome heard their names called and they all walked forwards. They walked through the large curtains and they got themselves seated at their instruments. They took a deep breath and began their performance.

From the moment that they played and sang their first notes, The Cutie Mark Crusaders put all thoughts of the crowd from their minds. The only thing they focused on was performing. In their eyes, the audience didn't exist. Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon didn't exist. Nothing mattered to them aside from the show that they were putting on. While Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Babs Seed put all of their hearts into their music, Scootaloo poured loads of emotion into her singing. She was really absorbed with her song. When their performance was over the crowd cheered. The group of four walked back through the curtains and waited to be called back to the stage. Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon walked over to them.

"Well Cutie Mark Crybabies." Diamond Tiara began nastily. "Ready to be beaten?"

"You might as well give up." Silver Spoon agreed. "There's no way you can win."

"Even if you win the tryouts they'll still laugh you right out of Canterlot." Diamond Tiara added.

"Especially since you're." Silver Spoon said before she and Diamond Tiara took a deep breath.

"BLANK FLANKS!" they both shouted.

The duo walked away with malicious grins on their faces. The Cutie Mark Crusaders did their best to ignore the words that had been said to them.

"Forget them." Scootaloo said firmly. "They won't be laughing when we win."

"You're right Scootaloo." Apple Bloom told her.

"Yeah we're gonna win these tryouts no problem." Sweetie Belle agreed.

"And then we'll rock Canterlot!" Babs Seed added.

While this conversation had happened the third and fourth groups had already returned. The fifth group was in the middle of their performance. Eventually they returned and the mayor had all of the competitors walk through the big red curtains and onto the stage. The mayor approached her podium for the fourth time.

"The team that shall be competing in Canterlot." she began.

There was a tense silence. The Cutie Mark Crusaders prayed that their names would be called. If it wasn't them they would have to endure more taunts from Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon.

"Is The Cutie Mark Crusaders!" the mayor shouted.

Instantly jaws of the four fillies dropped in shock. They had done it. They cheered for themselves and they could hear the screams of their sisters. They glanced over at Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon and they grinned at the extremely displeased expressions on their faces. The foursome had done it. They were going to Canterlot.

Meanwhile in the crowd, Vinyl Scratch breathed a sigh of relief. Her manager grinned at her.

"Don't get too excited." he warned. "They still have to win the contest in Canterlot."

"I know they'll win." Vinyl Scratch said confidently. "They aced these tryouts."

"Oh I knew that they'd win the tryouts." the manager replied. "They were far too talented to lose. However they will have some tough competition in Canterlot. You'd better hope that they're prepared."

Then the manager walked away while Vinyl Scratch bit her lip. She knew that he was right. The Cutie Mark Crusaders would have their work cut out for them in Canterlot. The two toned blue maned mare wasn't able to attend the show since work would be far too interfering. Thankfully all of the judges and none of the teams were from Canterlot so she didn't have to worry about any sort of favoritism or bias. Hopefully those four fillies would be able to win.


	6. Chapter 6: The Bet

**Chapter 6: The Bet**

The tryouts were now over. The four teams had been selected. Rainbow Dash, Gilda, and Lightning Dust would be the team that competed in the flying contest. Twilight Sparkle, Trixie, and Spike would be the magic team. Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, and Fluttershy would be the actresses for Ponyville. The Cutie Mark Crusaders would be the team that sang for Ponyville. All four teams were brought on stage to a thunderous round of applause. After a bit of celebration, everypony went home. The Cutie Mark Crusaders were on their way back to their clubhouse when a voice caused them to stop walking.

"Congratulations Cutie Mark Crybabies." a voice said.

The foursome turned and saw Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon standing behind them. Both of them had extremely nasty grins on their faces.

"What do you want?" Scootaloo asked. "We're on our way to celebrate so we don't wanna waste any time."

"Ah of course celebrate." Diamond Tiara replied.

"You did win the tryouts." Silver Spoon agreed.

"But you'll never win the show." Diamond Tiara continued.

"Why don't you spare yourselves the humiliation and just give up?" Silver Spoon asked.

"Because we're gonna win." Scootaloo told them.

"If we can win the tryouts than Ah say we can win the contest." Apple Bloom agreed.

"There's no way you can stop us." Sweetie Belle insisted.

"If we do lose at least we did better than you did." Babs Seed added. "You won't even be _in_ the show."

Babs Seed's comeback definitely annoyed the two ponies.

"You really think you can win?" Diamond Tiara asked. "The only contest that you can win is a circus act. I mean look at those costumes."

Sweetie Belle looked discouraged. She had worked very hard on those outfits and she was quite proud of them. Babs Seed was definitely not happy to see her friend look so sad.

"Hey these costumes are awesome!" she shouted.

"Well they are better than your drumming." Silver Spoon said. "I swear I've heard better drumming from parasprites."

Babs Seed was saddened by this comment. Apple Bloom quickly came to her cousin's defense.

"She's a much better drummer than either of ya." the yellow filly said.

"Your guitar skills aren't much better." Diamond Tiara replied. "You're about as good with a guitar as Snips and Snails are with basic math."

Apple Bloom was visibly insulted by this comment. Scootaloo got very irritated at the duo.

"I _know _we can win that contest." Scootaloo replied. "There's no way we're losing."

"Well why don't we make a little wager?" Silver Spoon asked.

"What do ya have in mind?" Scootaloo asked in response.

"Well if you lose the contest then the four of you have to carry us everywhere we need to go." Diamond Tiara said. "From school to our homes and back."

"For an entire month." Silver Spoon added. "Care to risk it blank flanks?"

Scootaloo glared at the duo before she spoke up.

"All right but if we win then cutie marks or no cutie marks you have to admit you were wrong about us." she said. "You have to apologize for everything you've ever done to us."

The two ponies looked like they were about to agree before Scootaloo spoke up again.

"In front of the entire town." she added.

The purple clad orange filly stretched out her hoof. Diamond Tiara looked uncertain for a second but then her usual smug grin appeared on her face as she shook Scootaloo's hoof. The two bullies grinned maliciously at the Cutie Mark Crusaders who glared right at them. Then Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon walked off. Scootaloo's fierce expression turned into a look of worry.

"What have I gotten us into?" she asked herself.

The other three fillies were definitely shocked. However they were confident that they could win the contest. The four of them walked to their clubhouse. They weren't going to be celebrating like they had originally planned. They were going to need a lot of practice. They had a lot riding on this talent show. While Applejack had told them that Pinkie Pie was throwing a party they turned down the invitation. They needed as much practice as they could get. They didn't know if they'd be able to rehearse when they arrived in Canterlot. Finally the night came and the four fillies went to their homes and fell asleep. They were anxiously awaiting tomorrow's journey.


	7. Chapter 7: Before the Contest

**Chapter 7: Before the Contest**

Morning came and the competing teams woke up and got themselves packed. They had two hours before their train left for Canterlot. Rainbow Dash, Gilda, and Lightning Dust were all sleeping in because they had literally nothing that they needed to pack aside from anything they could use to occupy their time. Rarity, Applejack, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie woke up and they were ready to leave at any moment. Trixie and Twilight Sparkle woke up and they packed their bags. Both of them opted to wear their stage outfits rather than put them in their suitcases. The Cutie Mark Crusaders had woken up and they had some packing to do. They needed to pack their equipment.

Vinyl Scratch had given the four fillies some cases for each of their respective instruments. The blue maned pony had wished them the best of luck. Little did the foursome know that Vinyl Scratch also had a bet that depended on them to win the contest. The sunglasses wearing pony had decided to keep silent about her wager with her boss out of fear that such knowledge would stress out the four fillies. The Cutie Mark Crusaders packed up their instruments inside of the cases. Then they put their costumes inside of their suitcases. Apple Bloom and Babs Seed put their headpieces in small bags while Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle did the same with small jars of eye makeup. They filled their suitcases with things that would help them pass the time until the contest.

Ten minutes before the train arrived, every competitor had shown up at the station with their bags packed. All of them had chosen to bring along objects that could be used for fun. These ranged from books to toys to decks of cards. They were going to have a fairly long trip and two weeks was an awfully long wait for them. Every single pony in Ponyville showed up to see them off. The train pulled into the station and came to a halt. The twelve ponies, one griffon, and one dragon all grabbed their belongings and boarded the train. They marched off into the compartment that had been reserved for them and sat down. Their bags had been taken by the train staff and had been placed in a secured room of the train. Since competition was fierce, the room was guarded on the outside and inside. The chances of anypony getting in and sabotaging anything were extremely slim. The group of fourteen relaxed as the train moved on to the next town to pick up more competitors.

The train ride was pretty uneventful. The train would move along the tracks stopping every now and then at towns to pick up competitors. The fourteen friends from Ponyville were all doing whatever they could to occupy their time. Trixie and Twilight Sparkle were playing some sort of complex card game. Gilda had pulled out a deck of playing cards and was teaching the others how to play blackjack. While The Cutie Mark Crusaders were a bit young for such a game the others figured it was okay since they weren't gambling. Lightning Dust won a few rounds of blackjack before the game got more interesting. She and Gilda were the only ones who knew how to play but they had some competition once the others had learned the rules. Even Trixie and Twilight Sparkle joined in after an hour or so. The group of fourteen kept up their game for a while. Soon enough the conductor announced that the train would be pulling into Canterlot. The train slowed down and came to a stop in the station. The group of fourteen grabbed their stuff and they were out the door of the train. A few ponies approached them and carried their equipment. Two of the three carried the musical instruments while the third led the way to where the fourteen competitors would be staying.

After a few minutes of walking, they came to a hotel. They went inside of the magnificent building and were in awe of the white marble floors. The walls were painted beautifully. They made their way to the elevator wand waited. Soon enough the golden doors opened and the entire group went inside. Despite the presence of fifteen ponies, one griffon, one dragon, and their belongings, the elevator didn't feel cramped at all. The worker pony pressed a button and they were off to the ninth floor. After a minute or two, the elevator slowed to a stop. The group of seventeen left and walked down the hall. They came to the room and the worker pony opened the door. Once they were inside they gasped at how amazing it looked.

The floor was covered in a beautiful red carpet. The room had its own kitchen with gorgeous black and white tiles. The windows were large glass panes that showed an amazing view of the city below them. There was a door next to them that led the way to their own balcony. The walls were painted in a regal white color. There were two large sofas at one part of the room. There was a magnificent dining table with sixteen chairs surrounding it. There was a hallway that had several doors on it that led to four bedrooms and two bathrooms. Each bedroom had two large beds as well as a very large dresser. The bathrooms sparkled with cleanliness. The entire suite was just breathtaking. The worker ponies set down their burdens while the third worker pony handed each of the fourteen competitors their own keys to the suite. The three wished them luck and departed. The group of fourteen gazed in awe at the place. They couldn't believe that they were staying in such an extraordinary place. Each group had their own room. Rainbow Dash, Lightning Dust, and Gilda would have one of the four rooms. They would share a bathroom with Trixie, Twilight Sparkle, and Spike who took an adjacent room. Their bathroom was situated right in between the two bedrooms. Rarity, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy took the third room and they shared their bathroom with The Cutie Mark Crusaders. They all began to relax in the living room when they heard a knock on the door.

A pony that was a member of the contest staff entered the room. He told the group of fourteen that they needed to meet with the contest officials to discuss what sort of special effects or lighting that they would need to have for their performances. He said that acting groups had the first meeting. Rarity, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy left the suite and walked with the worker pony. The rest of the group stayed behind and chatted for a while.

Rarity and her team arrived at the place where the contest would be held. They met a pony that specialized in using lighting and special effects. He asked the foursome what they would need. Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy all looked towards Rarity. She was the most experienced and was their leader of sorts. Rarity discussed her choice of effects with the official. There wasn't much she'd need in terms of special effects but lighting was a very big issue for her. Everything needed to be absolutely perfect. The lights needed to focus on the foursome just right. The official got everything down perfectly and Rarity was confident that it would go well. She left the area with Applejack, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie. The foursome headed off back to the hotel.

When they arrived back at the hotel it was like they were in a war zone. The Cutie Mark Crusaders had found a large supply of small towels. They were tossing them all over the place as if they were having a war. Apple Bloom and Babs Seed were crouching behind couch cushions while Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle bombarded them with towel balls. The cousins retaliated whenever they could. Rarity opened her mouth to scold her sister but before she could she was grabbed by Rainbow Dash. The light blue pegasus pulled her behind the kitchen counter. Gilda and Lightning Dust had grabbed Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy. They were all behind the counter next to Trixie, Twilight Sparkle, and Spike. Rarity gave Rainbow Dash a glare of annoyance.

"We have to put a stop to this." she said.

"Trust me you don't wanna do that." Rainbow Dash warned her. "Twilight tried to stop them and she took four towel balls right to the face."

"We figured it was best to just let this happen and try not to get hit." Gilda said.

"If you wanna stop 'em go right ahead." Lightning Dust told her. "But I'm warning ya. You're gonna take some hits if ya step into that battlefield."

Rarity accepted this and she sat down with the others. They just waited for the battle to end. Hopefully the four fillies wouldn't hurt each other or cause any damage to the suite. After a few minutes of fighting, they agreed to call a truce. They got out from behind their cushions and shook hooves. The rest of the group got out of their hiding spot. Rarity was about to scold them but she decided that it wasn't worth the time. They all worked together to clean up the mess that had been made. Gilda raided the fridge and cooked up a pretty good meal. The group of fourteen ate their dinner and then it was time for bed. Rainbow Dash and Gilda shared a bed while Lightning Dust slept alone. Twilight Sparkle shared a bed with Trixie leaving Spike to have a bed all to himself. Rarity and Fluttershy shared one of the beds while Applejack and Pinkie Pie shared the other one. Scootaloo and Apple Bloom shared a bed in their room while Sweetie Belle and Babs Seed took the other bed. All of them had a very peaceful sleep.

The next day arrived and none of the fourteen competitors had anything to do. Other acting teams were setting up their lighting and special effects so there was nothing for the fourteen friends to do. They passed the time by exploring the streets of Canterlot and doing whatever they could for fun. There wasn't a good spot anywhere in the city for them to practice their performances. They checked out various restaurants and other buildings and they found some very interesting spots. A few good restaurants here and there as well as a nightclub were enough to perk the interests of the flying trio and Spike. A library was spotted by Twilight Sparkle and she rushed in to look for a good book or two or twenty. Trixie found a store that sold some objects that could show off some impressive effects. The showmare pony purchased some of everything and put it in a bag. She wasn't going to use any of them during the contest but they could definitely be helpful for her career. The others found various ways to occupy their time.

The rest of the two weeks passed without much excitement. Rainbow Dash, Gilda, and Lightning Dust needed almost no effects or lighting for their performance. Flying would be done outside in the daylight so such things would hardly be useful anyway. Twilight Sparkle, Trixie, and Spike met with an official and Trixie made plans for a dramatic sort of entrance for the trio. The showmare said that this move would capture the audience's attention as well as the judges' interest. The Cutie Mark Crusaders had a lot of planning to do. Their performance required quite a bit of effects and stuff like that. Once everything was set up there was nothing more for the fourteen friends to do. The next day would mark the beginning of the contest. Day number one would be the flying acts. All fourteen friends went to sleep and anticipated the next day.


	8. Chapter 8: Flying Contest

**Chapter 8: Flying Contest**

The next day arrived and with it came a whole lot of anxiety. Rainbow Dash, Gilda, and Lightning Dust were extremely nervous about their upcoming performance. Though they tried to hide their anxiety it was quite clear that they weren't as confident in themselves as they had let on. Thankfully their friends were all there to support them. The rest of the group did everything they could to keep them calm. Rainbow Dash started to relax a bit and then she was able to calm both Gilda and Lightning Dust. The other two looked up to the rainbow maned pegasus as a leader. Rainbow Dash kept herself calm in the hopes that her teammates would follow her example.

Trixie made breakfast for the whole group and she was a very good cook. The whole party enjoyed the food that they were eating. Everything was delicious.

"Trixie where did you learn to cook like that?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Cooking is just one of the things that a traveling showmare must know." Trixie replied. "Trixie never knows when she can eat at a restaurant so being able to cook for herself is a necessity in her line of work."

The rest of the meal passed in silence. Rainbow Dash, Gilda, and Lightning Dust weren't as anxious as they were before but they definitely weren't feeling normal. They knew that they had the skills to win this contest but they didn't know what their competition would be like. The trio got up and left the hotel. They needed to be at the stage before the others since they were competing. The remaining group of eleven friends passed the time for an hour or so before they followed the three fliers out the door.

Rainbow Dash, Gilda, and Lightning Dust arrived at the stage and saw many ponies were already there. All of them were pegasi and from the looks of it, all of them would be competing. An official spotted the trio and hurried over to them. He told Rainbow Dash that her group would be the fifth of nine groups to perform. Rainbow Dash nodded and then she walked to the waiting area with her friends.

The waiting area was a pretty large room. There were no windows at all so nopony could see outside. This was done to prevent cheating from occurring. After a little while, more competitors started to fill the room. A poster was tacked up and it depicted the order in which the ponies would be performing in. Rainbow Dash checked the list and saw some familiar towns on it. Cloudsdale would be the fourth group to perform so the rainbow maned pegasus would be up after her original hometown. The flying teams waited and soon enough an official entered the room.

"In about five minutes' time I will ask the first team to perform." he said.

He left the room while five ponies had looks of anticipation on their faces. These ponies were from Manehattan. They said that they were the only pegasi in the entire city. Rainbow Dash wasn't sure if that was true or not but she didn't care at all. She chatted with Gilda and Lightning Dust while they waited. After a few minutes, the official returned.

"Okay we're ready for the Manehattan team." he said.

The five pegasi walked through the doors and they went onto the stage. The door swung shut behind them and now Rainbow Dash felt only anxiety. When she looked at Gilda and Lightning Dust she relaxed a bit. She knew that they would be behind her one hundred percent. She calmed down and talked with her two friends. Gilda had joked that maybe Spitfire or one of the other Wonderbolts would be watching them perform. While Rainbow Dash didn't take this seriously it did get her thinking. What if Spitfire _was _watching the performance? Would she be impressed with the trio? Would she possibly accept them into the Academy or maybe even recruit them as Wonderbolts? Rainbow Dash knew that graduating from the Academy didn't automatically give a pony a spot as a Wonderbolt. They'd have to go through a lot more training before that would happen. But if Spitfire did let them back in then maybe Rainbow Dash and her two friends _could _become Wonderbolts.

While Rainbow Dash had her little fantasy, the first three teams had gone. The fourth team was out the door before Gilda noticed that Rainbow Dash wasn't paying attention. The griffon gave the rainbow maned pegasus a shove which quickly got her attention. She started glancing around the room wildly before she realized what had happened.

"Is it our turn now?" Rainbow Dash asked in a confused tone.

"Not yet." Gilda replied. "We're up next though."

"Jeez Dash you zoned out on us." Lightning Dust said.

"Oops." Rainbow Dash replied. "Sorry guys. I just thought that maybe Spitfire's gonna be watching us and she'll love our show so much she'll sign us up as Wonderbolts on the spot."

The other two laughed and soon enough the fourth group returned. One minute later the official told Rainbow Dash that it was time for her and her team to perform. Rainbow Dash got up and walked through the door with Gilda and Lightning Dust following behind her. They walked onto the stage and were greeted with thunderous cheers. The judges told them that they could begin whenever they were ready. The trio noticed their friends all sitting in a group. After a moment of preparation, Rainbow Dash, Gilda, and Lightning Dust all took off into the sky.

All of the nerves, anxiety, and stress that the three fliers were feeling vanished the second they got into the air. They felt at home when they flew. This was what they loved doing in life. Flying through the air at extremely fast speeds and performing awesome stunts was their dream and passion. It was what united them as not just friends but as a team. It was what caused them to understand and care for each other on a much deeper level than most friends. This was what they wanted in life. The trio flew high and began their performance.

Rainbow Dash flew high and her rainbow trail followed her. She flew and created a huge circle of rainbow in the air. Meanwhile Gilda and Lightning Dust had their trails of fire and lightning following behind them. The two fliers flew through the rainbow and it shattered into a dazzling display of multicolored sparks and embers. The crowd gasped at this stunning display but the trio had only just gotten started. They had a lot more to go. The three fliers flew towards each other and the crowd gasped in surprise. They were wondering if Rainbow Dash, Gilda, and Lightning Dust were going to crash into each other. However they all flew upwards at the last second. Each of them could all feel the heat radiating from the bodies of their fellow fliers. That's how close together they were. They spun in circles as one big entity. It was like the three fliers had joined together as one. A cyclone formed around the trio but it was unlike any cyclone that anypony had ever seen. The trails made by the three fliers were now forming around their bodies. The trails of rainbow, fire, and lightning all fused together to make something incredible. Nopony knew how to describe what they were witnessing. Then the fliers broke apart and the cyclone split into three smaller versions of itself. Then Rainbow Dash, Gilda, and Lightning Dust were able to hurl those cyclones towards the center of their performance. The three cyclones collided and exploded into an awe inspiring sight. Everypony was in a state of total shock. They had never expected to see something like this.

The three fliers weren't done yet. They flew towards the ground and just before they crashed, they flew back upwards. The crowd gasped in surprise. Rainbow Dash, Gilda, and Lightning Dust were moving at such fast speeds. There was no way that changing direction so rapidly should even be physically possible. Their trails had vanished for the moment but the crowd didn't mind. They were loving every second of the performance. Rainbow Dash, Gilda, and Lightning Dust could hear the cheers of their friends among the noises being made by the crowd. This pleased the trio greatly. Hearing screams of encouragement from their friends pushed them to do even better. They flew in such a graceful and elegant manner that nopony could help but be astounded. The three fliers looked weightless. It's like they weren't even flying. It was like doing this sort of thing came as easy as breathing to the trio. Gilda and Lightning Dust looked towards Rainbow Dash. The rainbow maned pegasus nodded at them and the duo nodded back. It was time for the Grand Finale of their performance.

Gilda put on a huge burst of speed and she was off. The two pegasi increased their speeds but they accelerated at a slower pace than Gilda. The griffon's acceleration wasn't the same as theirs so timing would be a very difficult thing for them. All three fliers reached their max speeds at the exact same moment. Gilda flew high into the sky while Rainbow Dash and Lightning Dust soared beneath her. Gilda flew in circles that were perpendicular to the ground while the two pegasi zigzagged back and forth. Every now and then Gilda would start a new circle. When the crowd saw what had been formed they were all screaming at the top of their lungs. Gilda's trail of fire had created a giant cloud. Rainbow Dash and Lightning Dust used their trails of rainbow and lightning to create two huge thunderbolts that made the cloud look like a storm. The image caused the jaws of every spectator and judge to drop. The trio had made a huge storm cloud and it was beautiful. The trio landed lightly and their performance was over. The judges thanked them and the trio went back into the waiting area. They all felt a lot more confident now than they did when they were waiting to be called up. The remaining four groups took their turns.

After all of the groups had performed, the official entered the room. He congratulated every single team and said that the judges were scoring them. The winning team would be announced on the fifth day of the contest. Every single member of the various flying teams left the room and went back to where they were staying. Rainbow Dash, Gilda, and Lightning Dust met up with their friends and they were bombarded with compliments and praise. When they all arrived back at the hotel Rainbow Dash, Gilda, and Lightning Dust relaxed on their beds and fell asleep almost at once. The flying contest was over and they were exhausted and proud. They woke up to eat dinner and then it was back to bed for them. The next day would be the magic contest.


	9. Chapter 9: Magic Contest

**Chapter 9: Magic Contest**

Celestia's sun rose high into the sky the next morning. The group of fourteen awoke in their hotel suite. Rainbow Dash, Gilda, and Lightning Dust had finished their performance. All they could do was wait to see if they had done enough to win the contest. In the meantime, they had three performances to look forward to. Twilight Sparkle, Trixie, and Spike had a much different attitude than the three fliers.

While Trixie was a highly experienced showmare, even she was nervous. The crowd was going to be the biggest that she had ever performed for. Trixie had never had such a massive audience even before the Ursa Minor incident. The blue unicorn calmed herself down. Twilight Sparkle and Spike were even more anxious than Trixie. Neither of them had performed for such a large audience. The alicorn may have been Trixie's apprentice but she didn't perform that often. Spike meanwhile had never had a single performance in his life. Thankfully he would only be an assistant so he had much less to worry about. The two magic using ponies were being calmed by their friends.

Twilight Sparkle managed to get a hold of herself and soon enough her two teammates followed her example. Despite not having as much experience as Trixie, Twilight Sparkle was still the unofficial leader of the group. She didn't hold any actual authority over the others but they seemed to look up to her in the same way that Gilda and Lightning Dust looked up to Rainbow Dash. The rainbow maned pegasus had been surprisingly helpful about the whole situation. Flying might not be the same as magic but it could still be used for performances. In a way Rainbow Dash was like Trixie. The only difference was that she wasn't getting paid for her stunts. The light blue pony attempted to give the purple alicorn a pep talk.

"Listen Twi." Rainbow Dash began. "You gotta keep cool. Those two are counting on ya. You're their leader and if you start freaking out then your entire team is done for."

"That's not exactly helping." Twilight Sparkle replied.

"I know but it's just the way it is." Rainbow Dash responded seriously. "When the leader falls everypony falls. It's what I had to deal with yesterday. If I didn't calm down then Gilda and Lightning Dust wouldn't have a chance."

"And how is this supposed to help me calm down?" Twilight Sparkle asked. "All you're doing is adding more pressure."

Rainbow Dash pointed to Trixie and Spike. The duo were having a hard time hiding their anxiety. They both had a lot riding on this contest. Trixie was actually sweating pretty badly. Twilight Sparkle realized that if their big performance flopped then Trixie's career would definitely take a hit. The purple alicorn was _not _going to let that happen. She had worked hard to help Trixie get her old fame back and she wasn't about to mess it up for the second time. With a much more firm and confident look on her face, Twilight Sparkle talked to Trixie and Spike. She then managed to calm both of them down. The three friends were now at a much more relaxed state than before. The purple alicorn had gotten Rainbow Dash's message loud and clear. The rainbow maned pegasus had added pressure to her in an attempt to show her what she had to lose if she didn't calm down. Twilight Sparkle had not expected this of her friend but she accepted it. Rainbow Dash was a leader of sorts. She was the type that would use a sort of tough love on her friends and teammates to help them better themselves. That strategy had definitely paid off. The trio finally calmed down.

Finally the time came for Twilight Sparkle, Trixie, and Spike to head down the the area where the contest was being held. After the two ponies put on their stage outfits, they were out the door. They headed down the hallway and into the elevator. The golden doors opened and they were heading down to the first floor. Once they exited the elevator they were on their way out of the hotel and off to the contest. This would be a very important performance for the trio. Their friends would be there to support them.

At the contest area, the trio sat inside of the waiting room just like their flying friends had done the day before. A pony who worked for the contest officials told them that they would be the third of six groups to perform. The stands started to fill with enthusiastic ponies. All of them were excited to see the performances that would be put on by the ponies from various towns across Equestria. The first group left the waiting area and their performance began. Trixie, Spike, and Twilight Sparkle did whatever they could to pass the time. The first group came back with relatively confident grins on their faces. The second group left the waiting area and now Twilight Sparkle and her team started to get nervous. They were up next. After a few minutes, the second group came back and now it was time for Twilight Sparkle, Trixie, and Spike to perform. Trixie had prepared a dramatic entrance for the trio so the crowd would be impressed right off the bat. Hopefully the trio could use this to their advantage.

The trio arrived on stage amidst a large amount of smoke. The only thing that could be seen were their shadows. The smoke hid them extremely well. Trixie gave the others their cues and they got rid of the smoke. Twilight Sparkle and Trixie used their magic to dispel the gas while Spike breathed his fire at it. The smoke evaporated instantly and the crowd gasped. They definitely hadn't expected this. With grins on each of their faces, Twilight Sparkle, Trixie, and Spike began their performance.

Twilight Sparkle and Trixie pulled off all of their spells with expert ease. The purple alicorn had been training herself every single day like Trixie had instructed her to. They used their magic to create fire and smoke and other sorts of flashy effects. The two ponies then concentrated their magic on Spike and the young dragon was transformed into a minotaur. He roared at the top of his lungs and the crowd cheered. Then he reverted back to his usual self and the two ponies prepared their next assortment of tricks.

The duo managed to make nine clones of Spike. The ten young dragons all flew through the air. The fakes could fly without difficulty while the real Spike was being supported by Twilight Sparkle. Trixie used her magic to conjure up rings and obstacles which the ten dragons glided through flawlessly. Then they flew into the air. They were getting closer and closer to each other. When they collided the nine clones evaporated and the original Spike was floating in the air. Then he breathed his fire breath. However this fire breath was larger and multicolored. The crowd gasped at the display as the performers grinned. They kept up the stream of flashy and impressive spells while the audience cheered and applauded. The two ponies prepared themselves for their final trick.

Twilight Sparkle and Trixie started casting magic on Spike. The young dragon then flew through the air at blindingly fast speeds. A mach cone formed around his body as he flew faster and faster. Then something amazing happened. Spike's mach cone turned into a great emerald green fireball. The young dragon was surrounded by the bright green flames. Then he soared into the air and the fireball exploded and the embers slowly settled towards the ground. Then the green embers flew back up and formed a massive version of Trixie and Twilight Sparkle's cutie marks. The crowd cheered wildly and the performance was finished. The trio went back into the waiting room as the next group went up.

Now that they were back in the waiting room the trio began to relax. All in all their performance went well. Not just well but excellent. The crowd had loved every single second of their show. The trio relaxed while the remaining three teams took their turns. They joked and chatted until an official came into the room. He congratulated all of the teams on their performances and said that they would get their results on the fifth day of the contest. Everypony got up and left the waiting area.

When they found all of their friends, Twilight Sparkle, Trixie, and Spike were showered with praise. Trixie loved every second of the attention. Spike blushed rather furiously. He wasn't used to getting so many compliments all at once. Twilight Sparkle looked a bit modest but after a wink from Trixie, a confident grin grew on her face. Being proud of her skills was something that Twilight Sparkle was still working on. The group of fourteen went back to the hotel suite where they ate dinner and went to bed. The next day would be the acting contest.


	10. Chapter 10: Acting Contest

**Chapter 10: Acting Contest**

The next day arrived and Rarity was starting to lose her mind. The white unicorn was extremely nervous about how her performance would go. She was breathing heavily and everypony knew that she needed to calm down. Pinkie Pie, Applejack, and Fluttershy did everything that they could for Rarity. The unicorn was easily the best actress out of the foursome so if she lost her cool their entire performance was doomed. Rarity began to calm down a little. Trixie made breakfast for the entire group and they ate in silence. Rarity was still extremely nervous about the performance but then Sweetie Belle managed to calm her down.

The group of fourteen relaxed for a while. Rarity and her team had a bit of time before they had to go down to the contest area. The whole group talked and laughed for a while. Rarity was starting to get in a better mood. Her nerves weren't as bad as they were before. She was in a much calmer state of mind. Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy noticed this and smiled. Hopefully Rarity would be able to stay in this relaxed state and keep a cool head when they had their performance. All too soon it was time for the foursome to leave. They bid their friends farewell and then they headed out the door. The elevator carried them down to the first floor and then they left the hotel and were off to the contest area. This would be a big performance for them.

Once they arrived they were greeted by a contest official. He told them that they would be the first team to perform. This made Rarity extremely nervous. Performing first could put them at a disadvantage since the judges might be so impressed by the later performances that they would forget theirs. Thankfully Applejack and the others managed to calm Rarity down and assure her that they could still pull off a fantastic performance. They stood in the waiting room until the official entered the room. He told Rarity that her team would be on stage in five minutes. The unicorn took some very deep breaths and managed to calm herself. Five minutes later the official returned and Rarity left the room with her three friends. They walked onto the stage and were greeted with cheers and applause. They looked at each other and began their performance.

Pinkie Pie and Applejack were standing on their hind legs and holding prop swords. Lights shined down on the duo which made the audience focus on them. They dueled with each other for a while as part of their performance. Rarity and Fluttershy encouraged Applejack since Pinkie Pie was playing the villain of the show.

"You shall never be victorious against me!" Pinkie Pie shouted with a mad cackle of laughter as she blocked every attack that Applejack threw at her. She had really gotten into the spirit of her character. "Why don't you just give up?"

"Never!" Applejack replied as she continued the fight.

The duo dueled for a minute or two before Pinkie Pie gave Applejack a malicious grin. Then the pink pony knocked the sword out of the cowgirl's hooves. Immediately after this she made it seem like she had stabbed Applejack right through the heart. The cowgirl pony crumpled to the ground clutching her chest. Rarity sprinted towards her fallen friend with tears in her eyes. The lights dimmed a bit as they focused on the fallen orange pony. Rarity held Applejack in her forelegs and spoke.

"Please don't die." Rarity said in a sorrow filled voice. "I cannot bear to lose you."

"I am afraid that my time is near." Applejack replied. She had managed to lose her country accent for the performance but it definitely wasn't easy for her to speak differently than normal. Applejack coughed a bit before her body went limp. Rarity bent over the now lifeless form of Applejack.

"Oh cruelest fate." Rarity wailed. "Why must you be so foul? Why must the innocent suffer so?" Tears rolled down the face of the white unicorn as well as the faces of several members of the audience.

Fluttershy had turned towards Pinkie Pie who had a very evil smile on her face. It was almost scary how enthusiastic Pinkie Pie was about this role. She seemed like such an innocent pony but in this performance she looked like evil in pony form. Pinkie Pie was certainly random.

"So this is how she falls." Pinkie Pie said nastily. "Such a pity. I had expected so much more."

Fluttershy picked up Applejack's forgotten sword and looked at Pinkie Pie. The yellow pegasus' expression was a mix of fear and anger.

"You shall pay for everything that you have done." Fluttershy said. Then she ran towards Pinkie Pie and engaged in a duel against her. The spotlights shined down on the duo as they fought. Finally Fluttershy managed to disarm Pinkie Pie and then the pink pony was defeated. Fluttershy dropped her sword and went over to Rarity.

"It is finished." she said quietly.

The duo stared down at the body of Applejack as the curtains closed on their performance. The audience went wild with applause and cheering. They had definitely been moved by what they had witnessed. Meanwhile Rarity and her three friends relaxed in the waiting room. Their performance was over and now they could only wait to find out if they had won or not. The second group went up and there were still another nine groups after that one. Since acting wasn't exclusive to a certain species of pony like flying and magic were, every town had an acting team. Eleven towns were competing in this contest.

After an hour or so, the final group came back. The contest official walked into the room and congratulated everypony. He said that the winner would be announced the day after tomorrow. All of the acting teams got up and left the room. They all headed back to wherever they were staying. Rarity, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy met up with their friends and they were complimented on their performance. The group of fourteen went back to their hotel room to relax until the next day.

While all of the others were calm, The Cutie Mark Crusaders were starting to get nervous. They were going to be performing tomorrow. The others had had their fair share of nerves but the fillies were even more anxious. This was because of the bet that they had made with Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon before they left Ponyville. Each of the four fillies shuddered at the thought of having to carry the two bullies around for an entire month. They also wondered if they would get their cutie marks during this contest. This thought however was shoved aside by anxiety as well as excitement. The entire group went to bed and anticipated the next day where the final contest would take place.


	11. Chapter 11: Music Contest

**Chapter 11: Music Contest**

Morning arrived and anxiety had a firm grip on The Cutie Mark Crusaders. The four fillies were extremely nervous about having to perform in front of such a large audience. Their crowd in Ponyville was fairly big but this was way beyond a small town show. The Cutie Mark Crusaders knew how big the crowd would be since they had been part of that crowd for the past three days. Their nerves were starting to get the best of them but their sisters were right there for them. Applejack, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash comforted their younger sisters. Meanwhile Pinkie Pie had taken it upon herself to comfort Babs Seed. Despite not being related to the young filly Pinkie Pie did help Babs Seed quite a bit. Eventually Scootaloo got control of her emotions and she was able to get her bandmates to calm down.

Trixie had been making breakfast for the entire group. Everypony was still stunned that the showmare was such an amazing cook. They had never expected Trixie to have this kind of talent. They entire group ate in silence. The Cutie Mark Crusaders were extremely nervous about their show when they considered what was on the line. But then they thought of the encouragement that they had gotten. Their sisters, their friends, Vinyl Scratch, and so many others had encouraged them to win. All of them had faith in the talents of the four fillies. Hopefully The Cutie Mark Crusaders wouldn't let them down.

After a conversation, it was time for The Cutie Mark Crusaders to leave. They dressed themselves in their stage outfits and they were out the door. Scootaloo led the way while Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Babs Seed all followed right behind her. They entered the elevator and the golden doors slid shut. They rode down to the first floor and then they were off to the contest area. Their equipment had been brought over by the contest staff the night before so they didn't need to worry about that. They walked through the streets of Canterlot and they had earned some curious looks from many of the surrounding ponies. Obviously their outfits stood out among the crowd. The four fillies paid no mind to the gazes that they got. They were in a music contest not a fashion contest.

Once they arrived at the contest area an official walked up to them. He seemed surprised to see four fillies standing before him. Looking around the place, The Cutie Mark Crusaders couldn't blame him. Every other pony there was an adult. The foursome were the only fillies competing. The official told them that they would be the last team up. The Cutie Mark Crusaders walked into the waiting room and sat down. The room soon filled with teams from the eleven towns that were competing. Just like with acting, music wasn't exclusive to any species of pony so more towns were able to compete in this contest.

After a while, they started hearing the noises of the crowd. Ponies were filling in the seats and they were all waiting for the performances to begin. The official pony came into the room and gave the first team a five minute notice. Once everything seemed like it was in place, the official came back. The first group went out the door and onto the stage to begin their show. The rest of the teams waited for their turn.

Anxiety started to settle in amongst the many competing teams. Each of them seemed extremely nervous but none were more anxious than The Cutie Mark Crusaders. Being the only fillies in the entire contest made their performance seem even more difficult. They were definitely going to have their work cut out for them. Meanwhile in the crowd a pony was waiting for them to perform.

Vinyl Scratch sat among the crowd to see the contest. Her boss had given her this day off just because he was feeling generous. The off-white unicorn waited nervously. She had made a bet that was riding on the success of The Cutie Mark Crusaders. She was faithful that they would win but that didn't stop her from being nervous all the same. Vinyl Scratch watched the teams perform and waited to see the Cutie Mark Crusaders walk onto the stage.

Back inside of the waiting area, The Cutie Mark Crusaders were waiting for their moment. Five of the eleven teams had already gone up. The sixth team had just left the room. The four fillies then began to talk amongst themselves. Anything that could take their minds off of their nerves was a good thing. After a while, the sixth, seventh, eight, and ninth groups had finished their performances. The tenth group walked through the doors and the official then told The Cutie Mark Crusaders that they were up next. All too soon the tenth group returned. The official pony then told the four fillies that they needed to wait a moment while their equipment was set up. The four fillies waited and then it was time for them to put on a show. The foursome walked through the door and onto the stage.

The four fillies were greeted with cheers when they arrived onstage. Scootaloo walked up to the center of the stage where a microphones stood. Apple Bloom stood on her left side just a bit behind her. The black clad filly held her blue guitar in her hooves and she was ready to start. Sweetie Belle had positioned herself at the red keyboard. The pink and green clad unicorn was on Scootaloo's right and she was standing a bit behind the purple clad pegasus. Babs Seed was the furthest in the back. The red clad earth pony was seated at her dark green drum set. All four of the fillies were ready to perform at any given moment. The colored lights shined down on them and they all began their show. Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Babs Seed started playing their instruments while the purple clad pegasus pony had started to sing their theme song.

"Look, here, are four little ponies," Scootaloo began as the music played and the lights beamed down on her.

"Ready to sing for this crowd,

Listen up, 'cause here's our story

I'm gonna sing it"

"Very loud!" the foursome sang together.

The music started to get louder and more energetic as the song continued. Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Babs Seed were putting their hearts into the music they were playing. Smoke filled the area and the lights shined several different colors. The crowd was really starting to get into this display.

"When you're a younger pony," Scootaloo sang.

"And your flank is very bare.

Feels like the sun will never come.

When your cutie mark's not there."

Scootaloo sang passionately during this performance. Her face and voice were filled with emotion. The crowd was loving this performance. The lights kept shining on the foursome throughout the performance.

"So the four of us will fight the fight." she sang as holograms of ghosts, minotaurs, and monsters formed around her.

"There is nothing that we fear.

We'll have to figure out what we'll do next."

"Till our cutie marks are here!" the foursome sang as they launched into the chorus.

"We are The Cutie Mark Crusaders." they all sang.

"On a quest to find out who we are.

And we will never stop the journey.

Not until we have our cutie marks."

Scootaloo nodded her head to the beat for a moment. The other three members played their instruments. Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Babs Seed kept putting their hearts into their show. When it was time, Scootaloo began to sing again. The four fillies were really starting to enjoy performing like this. It filled them with a special feeling. This was something that they loved to do. They felt a strange sensation but they paid no mind to it. The group was far too focused on their show. This was way more fun than they had thought it would be.

"They all say that you'll get your mark" Scootaloo sang.

"When the time is really right.

And you know just what you're supposed to do.

And your talent comes to light.

But it's not as easy as it sounds.

And that waiting's hard to do.

So we test our talents everywhere."

"Until our face is blue." the foursome sang passionately.

The trio kept playing their instruments as they sang the chorus again.

"We are The Cutie Mark Crusaders.

On a quest to find out who we are.

And we will never stop the journey.

Not until we have our cutie marks.

We are The Cutie Mark Crusaders.

On a quest to find out who we are.

And we will never stop the journey.

Not until we have our cutie marks!"

Finally the show was over. The audience was going wild with cheers and applause. The Cutie Mark Crusaders walked off of the stage and back into the waiting area. Soon enough the contest official returned and congratulated them. The next day would be when the winners of each contest were announced. Everypony left the room and The Cutie Mark Crusaders ran into their friends. The foursome were showered with compliments which made them grin broadly.

The group of fourteen arrived back at their hotel suite. Every single one of them was anxious to find out whether or not they had won. They ate a light dinner which had been provided by Trixie. After an hour or so of talking, The Cutie Mark Crusaders went to bed. They were so tried from their performance. They laid down on their two beds and instantly fell asleep. They didn't even bother taking off their rock band outfits. Applejack entered the room and she smiled a bit. The orange earth pony dragged blankets over the two beds and let the foursome sleep soundly. The rest of the group went to bed soon afterwards.

Meanwhile a train was leaving Canterlot and heading towards Ponyville. Vinyl Scratch looked out of her compartment window and smiled. She was very certain that The Cutie Mark Crusaders would win. In her opinion they were the best hooves down. The two toned blue maned unicorn relaxed a bit as the train pulled into Ponyville station. When it finally slowed to a stop she got out and headed off to her house. Vinyl Scratch couldn't wait to see if she was right. The off-white unicorn could smell that pay raise already.


	12. Chapter 12: Winners Announced

**Chapter 12: Winners Announced**

The next day came and everypony was in a state of anxiety. This was the day when they would find out if all of their efforts were worth it. This was the day when they would find out who won the contests. Every single pony was very nervous. Nopony knew who the winners would be. So many groups had performed and so much talent had been shown throughout the whole contest. The group of fourteen from Ponyville woke up and they were extremely nervous about the whole situation.

Trixie Lulamoon prepared breakfast for the group as they sat at the table and tried to have a normal conversation. Their efforts were in vain since none of them could hide their anxiety. The Cutie Mark Crusaders walked in and they were rubbing their eyes. They were still wearing their rock band outfits from the day before. They sat down at the table and Trixie finished cooking breakfast. The group of fourteen ate in silence. What could they say to each other?

This contest had been intense for every single member of the group. Even ponies like Applejack and Fluttershy who normally didn't compete that often were anxious to find out who had won. Trixie had a pretty hard time controlling her emotions. Success in this contest would likely give her career a huge boost. Failure would result in things that Trixie didn't know. The unicorn wasn't certain how her career would be affected if she were to lose this contest. Would she be mocked? Would she be praised for even competing? Or would ponies just not care? Trixie was nervous as these thoughts floated around her brain. Rainbow Dash, Gilda, and Lightning Dust were all anxious to see if they had won. Winning the contest would give them a much better chance at living their dreams of becoming Wonderbolts. Losing wouldn't hurt their chances but it would take a toll on their morale. Both Twilight Sparkle and Spike were holding up reasonably well. They were more concerned for Trixie than themselves. Rarity was extremely frantic about whether or not she had done enough. This was worse than she was after the tryouts had ended. Pinkie Pie was the only pony in the room who had a remotely positive look on her face. The pink pony ran around the room but it seemed like she was just having a good time rather than being stressed. Then again maybe the running was relieving her stress. Who knew what was going on inside the mind of Ponyville's most energetic pony? The Cutie Mark Crusaders were the only ones who didn't seem affected. They looked calm on the outside but they were secretly freaking out on the inside. If they lost then they'd be forced to carry their enemies around for an entire month. This was something that they did not want to have to go through. Hopefully they would win the contest.

All too soon an official knocked on the door of their suite. Twilight Sparkle opened the door and he walked inside. He told the group that it was time for them to follow him to the contest area. The group of fourteen left their suite and they walked in silence. There was nothing for them to say to each other. Their minds were racing. Their hearts were all pounding at lightning fast speeds. The moment of truth was fast approaching. They were going to find out who had won the contest.

After a bit of walking, they arrived at the stage. Every single competitor had shown up. hey were all grouped based on which contest they had entered. Rainbow Dash, Gilda, and Lightning Dust joined the other fliers and waited. Twilight Sparkle, Trixie, and Spike stood with the other five magic teams as they waited to hear the news. Rarity, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy waited with the actors and actresses from the other towns. The Cutie Mark Crusaders stood with the other music groups. Soon they started to hear the voices of many excited ponies. The stands were filling up and the moment was approaching. The curtain rose up and the crowd cheered. The judges sat at their table and they waited to make their announcement. The crowd quieted down and the first judge began to speak.

"I would like to thank you all for watching these performances." he said. "Let us have a big round of applause for all of the outstanding performances that we've seen."

The audience and the judges applauded every single group. Some worker ponies pushed raised pedestals onto the stage. One had a pair of wings on it. Another had two crossed magic wands on it. The third had a set of theater mask on it while the fourth had a music note on it. The crowd and the competitors were starting to get anxious. Then another judge stood up and spoke.

"The winning team for the flying contest." she began.

All of the fliers were nervous. Who would she announce?

"Is the team of Rainbow Dash, Gilda, and Lightning Dust from Ponyville!" she announced much to the audience's loud approval.

Rainbow Dash and her teammates were stunned. They did it. The trio walked onto the pedestal and grinned. They were the winners of the flying contest. Each of them had been handed a golden trophy and a check for five thousand bits. The crowd cheered wildly before they settled down. The rest of the fliers applauded politely but disappointment was written on all of their faces. They had lost. A third judge stood up and spoke.

"The winners of the magic contest." he said.

Once again a shiver of nerves passed among the competitors.

"Are The Great and Powerful Twilight, Trixie, and Spike from Ponyville!" he cheered. The audience applauded loudly. They definitely agreed with this decision.

Twilight Sparkle, Trixie, and Spike stood on the pedestal with broad grins on their faces. Each of them were given gold trophies as well as checks. Once the crowd settled down a fourth judge stood up.

"The winning team of the acting contest." she began.

Rarity drew her friends in a tight hug as she waited for the announcement.

"Is the team of Rarity, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy from Ponyville!" she yelled.

Rarity's jaw dropped in shock. She and her team had done it. They won the acting contest. A nudge from Applejack brought her back to reality as the foursome made their way onto the pedestal. They received their trophies and money and now there was only one announcement left. The fifth and final judge stood up and spoke.

"The winners of the music contest." he said.

The Cutie Mark Crusaders closed their eyes and waited to hear what the judge would say.

"Are The Cutie Mark Crusaders from Ponyville!" he shouted.

The eyes of the four fillies widened. Did they hear the judge correctly? Were they the winners? Was it really true? The group of four walked onto their pedestal and grinned. They received their trophies as well as their checks and they couldn't believe it. They had won the contest. The crowd cheered for all of the winners as the remaining teams left the stage with looks of disappointment on their faces.

"We hope that you enjoyed the contest." the first judge said. "We hope to see you next year."

The crowd left the area and the group of fourteen got off of their pedestals and embraced in a huge group hug. They had done it. They had won the contest. Now it was time for them to head home. The group of fourteen walked back to their hotel suite to pack up their stuff.


	13. Chapter 13: The Greatest Prize

**Chapter 13: The Greatest Prize**

The group of fourteen arrived back at their hotel suite in much better spirits than they had been in when they had left. They had won the contest. Every single one of them was excited and proud of what they had accomplished. They did it. Ponyville would be so proud of them. They walked inside of their hotel suite and talked with each other. However they didn't have much time since they needed to be on the train to Ponyville in two hours. The group of fourteen got to work on cleaning up their suite.

Everypony worked together to make sure that everything was neat and organized. Twilight Sparkle, Trixie, and Rarity used their magic to get work done. Rainbow Dash, Gilda, and Lightning Dust moved quickly as they cleaned. Pinkie Pie was all over the place but since she wasn't making a mess nopony minded it one bit. Applejack, Fluttershy, and Spike worked together while The Cutie Mark Crusaders did their part.

Once everything was spotless the group of fourteen began to pack up their stuff. The worker ponies had brought up the instruments for The Cutie Mark Crusaders and they were packed away quickly. Trixie packed up all of her new magic supplies in her suitcase. Everypony decided to carry their trophies with them so that all of their friends back in Ponyville would know that they had won. The Cutie Mark Crusaders took off their rock band outfits and packed them up. Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle wiped off their eye makeup and put what they didn't use back in their bags. After a moment Apple Bloom let out a surprised yelp.

"Scootaloo." she said in a quiet and shocked tone. "Look at your flank."

The orange filly looked at her flank and her jaw dropped. Instead of being bare, her flank now depicted a cutie mark. It showed a microphone like the one that she had used for her singing.

"I got my cutie mark." Scootaloo whispered. Then she glanced at Apple Bloom and spoke. "Looks like you have one too Apple Bloom."

The yellow earth pony checked and sure enough Scootaloo was right. Apple Bloom now had a cutie mark. Her mark depicted a blue electric guitar like the one she used.

"Ah can't believe it." she said in a stunned tone. "Ah got my cutie mark."

Babs Seed and Sweetie Belle gasped as they realized that they too had gotten their cutie marks. Sweetie Belle's cutie mark was of a fiery red keyboard while Babs Seed's cutie mark showed a dark green drum set with golden cymbals. The group of four stood in a stunned silence.

"We got our cutie marks." Sweetie Belle said.

Then the four fillies' faces lit up with excitement.

"WE GOT OUR CUTIE MARKS!" they all shouted enthusiastically.

The foursome embraced in a group hug and they were laughing and cheering. They couldn't believe it. After all of this time they had finally gotten their cutie marks. Their door was opened and they saw the rest of the group staring at them. Just as Applejack was about to ask them what they were shouting about, The Cutie Mark Crusaders showed them their newly earned cutie marks. All of their friends were extremely pleased for the four fillies.

"Ah'm proud of y'all." Applejack told them.

"I told you that one day you would get your cutie marks." Rarity said.

"Looks like our sisters are gonna be rockstars!" Rainbow Dash said enthusiastically.

"CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS ROCK BAND!" the four fillies shouted.

The foursome finished packing and then they all had rather confused looks on their faces. Their friends were quick to pick up on this.

"Something wrong girls?" Twilight Sparkle asked.

"I don't get why we got our cutie marks now." Scootaloo began.

"We've been trying to get them for so long." Apple Bloom continued.

"We even tried being a rock band before." Sweetie Belle added.

"Why didn't we get our cutie marks before?" Babs Seed asked.

The rest of the group glanced at each other before Twilight Sparkle spoke up.

"Did you enjoy being a rock band?" she asked.

"Well not the first time." Scootaloo replied.

"But this time was different." Apple Bloom said.

"This time it was a lot more fun than before." Sweetie Belle agreed.

"Ah just wanted ta keep playing." Babs Seed finished.

"So in other words you want to do this with your lives?" Twilight Sparkle asked.

The four fillies glanced at each other and they nodded. They knew that they wanted to be a rock band. They had now realized that this was what they wanted to do with their lives.

"You got your cutie marks because you did what we kept telling you." Twilight Sparkle said.

The four fillies gave the alicorn a confused glance as she continued.

"The problem was that you kept trying to force your cutie marks." Twilight Sparkle explained. "You didn't get your cutie marks the last time you were a rock band because you didn't enjoy it like you did this time. That's why you got your cutie marks today. Because you found something that your skilled with and passionate about."

The eyes of the four fillies widened as they understood. All this time they had had it wrong. They had tried so many things to get their cutie marks but none of them worked because they weren't really enjoying it. Yet when they had gone on stage as a rock band they loved it. They wanted to keep performing because they enjoyed it. They had found their talent and passion and because of that they had earned their cutie marks.

With broad grins on their faces, The Cutie Mark Crusaders finished their work. The group of fourteen left the hotel and were on the train back to Ponyville. Their bags had been loaded up and they were all clutching their golden trophies. The train left Canterlot and headed back to their town. The Cutie Mark Crusaders grinned at each other.

_Wait till Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon see us again. _they all thought.

The train pulled out of Canterlot Station and made its way to Ponyville.


	14. Chapter 14: The Spoils of Victory

**Chapter 14: The Spoils of Victory**

The train pulled into Ponyville's train station. It slowed itself to a stop and the door opened. The group of fourteen grabbed their belongings and left their compartment. They walked down the length of the train and made it to the exit. They walked out of the vehicle as worker ponies set down the instruments that had been brought by The Cutie Mark Crusaders. The young ponies wheeled their equipment out of the station as they followed their friends.

When they stepped out of the train station they were all greeted with thunderous cheers. The entire town of Ponyville had turned out to welcome them back. When the group of fourteen raised their trophies into the air the cheering grew to a deafening volume. The group of fourteen was getting a very warm reception by the townsponies. The Cutie Mark Crusaders walked around and then they saw Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon. The two bullies had wide eyes and gaping mouths as they stared at the foursome. Their eyes moved from the trophies in their hooves to the cutie marks on their flanks. They couldn't believe what they were seeing. The Cutie Mark Crusaders had not only won the contest but they had also earned their cutie marks. The foursome stood in front of the duo with grins on their faces.

"Like them?" Scootaloo asked. Neither Diamond Tiara nor Silver Spoon knew if the young pegasus was referring to the trophies or their cutie marks.

"Ah think we had a bet didn't we?" Apple Bloom asked.

"And I think we won that bet." Sweetie Belle said.

"Ah think it's time for the two of ya ta do what ya said ya would do." Babs Seed said with a grin.

Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon looked at each other and gulped. They knew that they had lost and now they would have to face their fate. They would have to apologize to their enemies and in front of an audience no less. The group of six marched into the center of Ponyville. A crowd had gathered around them and they waited to see what was going to happen. Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon glanced nervously at each other before they decided to speak.

"We're sorry we teased you." Diamond Tiara began.

"We're sorry we bullied you." Silver Spoon continued.

"We're sorry we called you blank flanks." Diamond Tiara said.

"And tried to make you look bad." Silver Spoon added.

"We're sorry for everything." the two said in unison.

The crowd let out a gasp. They didn't know that these two ponies had been bullying The Cutie Mark Crusaders all this time. Every single pony in the crowd looked at the foursome. The Cutie Mark Crusaders smiled at each other before they looked at the two ponies that constantly bullied them. Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon looked down towards the ground in shame. They had finally realized just how badly they had behaved towards the foursome. The Cutie Mark Crusaders gave each other one more glance before they spoke.

"We forgive you." The Cutie Mark Crusaders said in unison.

Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon looked their former enemies in the eyes. Did they really mean that? Had the two of them been forgiven? After everything they had put these fillies through, the foursome didn't hold a grudge? Could it really be true? The Cutie Mark Crusaders looked at each other as if they were having a silent conversation. Then Scootaloo spoke to the duo.

"Do you guys wanna join The Cutie Mark Crusaders?" she asked.

"What?" Diamond Tiara asked with wide-eyed disbelief.

"Do you mean that?" SIlver Spoon asked in an amazed tone.

"We sure do." Apple Bloom replied.

"We could always use more members." Sweetie Belle said.

"The Crusaders are about getting your cutie marks and living up to them." Babs Seed said.

"So you wanna join?" Scootaloo asked again.

Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon looked at each other. Here were four ponies who they had mocked and ridiculed mercilessly and now they were offering not just forgiveness but friendship. The duo didn't know what to say. They had a quick whispered discussion with each other. Then they turned and faced the foursome.

"We'll join." the duo said in unison.

The Cutie Mark Crusaders grinned and told the duo to meet them at their clubhouse for initiation. The crowd cheered at this display of friendship and they then left the area. Scootaloo, Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Babs Seed led the way to the clubhouse with Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon following behind them. They had an initiation ritual for the two ponies and then they were accepted into the club. The group of six had a small party to celebrate the event. The Cutie Mark Crusaders had gotten two new members while Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon had now gotten four new friends. The duo used to only have each other. Diamond Tiara was from a wealthy family but that came at a cost. It was harder for her to make friends because of her wealth. The friends that she had only cared about her money. Silver Spoon was the only one to actually befriend her for who she was. Silver Spoon's family wasn't as wealthy as Diamond Tiara's father but her family had more wealth than most. The duo stuck together and they felt like any other pony was just a fake friend and deserved to be treated with ridicule. This was why they had been so horrible to The Cutie Mark Crusaders for so long. The foursome accepted this story and the group of four became a group of six.

Meanwhile in a different area of Ponyville, another pony was eager to redeem her prize for winning her own bet. Vinyl Scratch approached her manager with a grin on her face.

"So boss." she said. "How much of a raise were ya talking about?"

The manager sighed in defeat. His bet had backfired completely. Not only did he have to give away three instruments for free but now he had to give one of his employees a raise.

_Note to self._ he thought. _Never make another bet ever again._

"All right Vinyl." he said. "Come to my office. We'll figure out all the details."

The duo walked over to the music store and into the manager's office. Vinyl Scratch grinned happily. She was going to get a pay raise. She was also really proud of how The Cutie Mark Crusaders had performed. She felt a bit guilty about making a bet on such young ponies but she was confident in their skills. Vinyl Scratch wanted to support the budding rock band however she could. So what better way to do so than by betting on them? The off-white pony knew that if the foursome knew about her bet they'd be understanding. The manager then gave Vinyl Scratch a raise that definitely made the two toned blue mare happy. Her pay had been increased by fifty percent. This was a very good day for Vinyl Scratch. She left the music store in high spirits.

Everypony in Ponyville went to a party at SugarCube Corner. An article had been released in the newspaper about how Ponyville had gotten a flawless victory at the contest. Every single competitor had been mentioned and they all got a lot of praise. Rainbow Dash, Gilda, Lightning Dust, Twilight Sparkle, Trixie Lulamoon, Spike, Rarity, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Scootaloo, Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Babs Seed were being praised like heroes. They enjoyed every second of the attention.


	15. Chapter 15: Thoughts of a Spectator

**Chapter 15: Thoughts of a Spectator**

The talent show in Canterlot was over. All of the competitors had gone back to their hometowns. The judges left and they had to decide which town would host next year's contest. The ponies who had been watching the show had all gone home. All of them had positive feelings about the performances. Everypony had enjoyed what they had seen. There was one pony who had deeper thoughts about the contest. In particular she was thinking about one of the many flying performances. This pony's name was Spitfire and she was thinking about the show that had been put on by Rainbow Dash, Gilda, and Lightning Dust.

Spitfire had enjoyed watching the trio perform. She was a Wonderbolt so watching a contest like this was sort of a mandatory thing. After all, the Wonderbolts would need new members. Spitfire volunteered to observe the many flying performances as a scouting trip. This wasn't a lie at all. She was looking for new frowned a bit to herself. The Wonderbolts were no longer everything that they once were.

While most ponies knew that the Wonderbolts performed impressive stunts that was only part of what the team did. They were also a sort of first responder team to emergencies in Equestria. Spitfire remembered how they had gone to Ponyville to stop a rampaging dragon one time. That didn't work out so well. This part of the Wonderbolts was mostly unknown to Equestria's population. They had thought that the Wonderbolts were just fancy fliers. Spitfire remembered the day where she had a discussion with Princess Celestia herself.

Though the Sun Goddess displayed no anger, malice, or disappointment towards the Wonderbolts, she had in effect said that they were no longer needed to respond to emergencies. Princess Celestia had set up an organization for that purpose. Many pegasi were among their ranks. Some of the Wonderbolts had hung up their uniforms to join them. Princess Celestia had said that Spitfire now had total authority over the Wonderbolts. The Wonderbolt Captain wasn't sure of what to do. She temporarily closed down the Academy since she would need to revise how she accepted, judged, and positioned her recruits. One thing was certain, the Wonderbolts would never be the same again.

Spitfire was uncertain of what she could do. The one night an idea struck her. It was a crazy idea and there was a very high chance that it wouldn't work out. Yet this could be just what the Wonderbolts needed if it were to work. Spitfire was toying with this idea but she needed a trio to pull it off. This plan wouldn't give the Wonderbolts their old job back. Spitfire knew that Princess Celestia wasn't going to change her mind. This would just make the flying team be a lot more known around Equestria. There was no malicious intentions in the mind of Spitfire. The goal and method of her plan were strictly honorable.

This was why she was thinking deeply about Rainbow Dash, Gilda, and Lightning Dust. She had previously met both Rainbow Dash and Lightning Dust back at Wonderbolts Academy. Both of them had dropped out which was a huge shock to Spitfire. Both of the pegasi were extremely talented. Granted they had made a pretty big mistake but Spitfire was certain that they could have recovered and learned from it. Spitfire had never met Gilda but she knew that the griffon was just as talented as Rainbow Dash and Lightning Dust were.

Spitfire had noticed how the trio had worked together in perfect harmony. She had noticed very few signals or hoof gestures between them. It was like they could read each other's minds. This was teamwork on a whole new level. This was something that Spitfire needed for her plan. It would work out perfectly since all three of them lived in Ponyville. Spitfire smiled a bit to herself. That was a job for another day. Her plan still needed tweaking. Rainbow Dash, Gilda, and Lightning Dust might be the trio for the part but Spitfire wanted to get a better idea of how they worked together.

With a yawn, Spitfire walked towards her bed. The Wonderbolt Captain laid down on her mattress and turned out her lamp. She closed her eyes and quickly fell asleep. The three fliers would definitely fit the role that she needed. They worked well together and they were extremely talented. All Spitfire needed to do was encourage them to work with her. She had seen the potential in them and she wanted to help them realize their potential. A grin grew on her face as she imagined what would happen if her plan were to work. Rainbow Dash, Gilda, and Lightning Dust would definitely go along with it. After all, Spitfire's plan would make their dreams come true.

**The End!**

**Author's Note: **I hope you guys enjoyed reading this story because this was really fun to write. The idea of The Cutie Mark Crusaders being a rock band wasn't just an inspiration for me from the show. I had found a picture that showed the trio as a band playing the instruments that they played in this story. (Babs Seed wasn't in that picture. Her costume as well as her being a drummer were my own ideas.) I wanted The Cutie Mark Crusaders to have some really interesting cutie marks. I didn't want to just give them cutie marks based on what their sisters did. I also liked how they were a rock band in the episode Show Stoppers so I figured why not take it one step further? Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon's redemption might have seemed rushed but I feel like they were good enough since I only had one other story where they could redeem themselves and it would have really been rushed in that story. Also Spitfire has some plans for our favorite flying trio. What could she be up to? But this story completes my goal of uploading ten stories before 2015! I can't believe I did it. This has been a ton of fun and I'd like to thank you guys for being there for me the whole way through. Don't worry I still have a lot more MLP fnafics as well as fanfics for other things. I have sixteen more MLP stories planned and I'm certain you're gonna love them. Reviews are appreciated as always. Thanks for reading!


End file.
